Falling for Garrus
by MelShep
Summary: Casey is a regular girl living on Omega when she gets invited to join Shepard and the Normandy crew, and soon realises it's not the great Commander Shepard she's dreaming about, but his Turian friend.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, this is my first upload, so I hope I've done everything right! I'm planning for this to be quite a long story, and it will get a little R rated later on, but I really wanted to build up some background first, so no smut yet I'm afraid! I liked the idea of a lead character who wasn't Shepard, or even anyone 'great', but was just a normal woman, who still gets to become part of the Normandy crew. Let me know what you think, and more will come very soon :)**

* * *

"Forty credits!"

"Twenty-five."

"Forty!" The Vorcha hissed, and Casey sighed. This was going nowhere. Trying to haggle with a Vorcha was like trying to hug a Krogan. It didn't work. But Casey only had forty credits, and the meds weren't worth that.

"Let me speak to your boss." She said. The Vorcha hissed again, but disappeared. Casey prepared her 'I'm a lovely human who you want to help' face. Unfortunately when the Vorcha returned he was accompanied by an Elcor.

"With mildly hidden annoyance, my name is Harot, how can I help you?"

Casey handed over the credits, what was the point? She took the meds and headed home, almost colliding with a Batarian who wasn't looking where he was going. "Watch it human!" He yelled.

Casey sighed again, "I hate Omega."

* * *

Casey had been living on Omega for three years. She arrived with a group of friends, who'd all wanted to get away from Earth and make it somewhere out in the huge galaxy. Inspired by Alliance ads, and stories of heroes like Hackett, Anderson, and Shepard, but not wanting to enlist, they'd done the next best thing. Or so they thought. Within three years Casey's friends had all returned home, or been killed. Casey was the only one who stayed. She told herself it was because she was stronger than them: that she was going to make something of herself. But she knew that wasn't it. The truth was she had nothing to go back to. Omega may have been a piss hole, but at least it was somewhere different. She was someone anonymous: not the orphan girl who'd lost her family to Batarian slavers.

Casey arrived at her apartment without getting mugged or insulted, which was a good journey for Omega really. She didn't have too much time to hang around: otherwise she'd be late for work. Casey had two jobs, one as a Nurse at a clinic in the slums, hence picking up the meds. Her other job, the one she was running late for, was as a server at Afterlife. She threw the bag of meds onto her bed and had a quick shower, before slipping into her uniform: a skin tight, low cut, bodysuit, with slash cut out at the waist. It was red, which clashed slightly with her shoulder length copper hair, but still looked good.

Casey looked at the clock, a few minutes before she needed to leave. She looked around at her apartment: she didn't have it too bad. Not for Omega. Sure she lived in a bad area, but then there weren't many places on Omega that could be described as 'good areas'. At least she wasn't sharing with strangers, like her second apartment, where she lived for six months with four other women: a Turian, an Asari, and two Batarians. Batarian women were loud, all the time, and these two were constantly bringing men home. Casey had taken the job at the clinic just to earn some credits and get out of there!

"Hey," Casey's roommate Enobaria had just come home from her shift. She worked at Afterlife too. "Shouldn't you have left already?" She asked.

Casey pointed to the clock, "I've got a few minutes."

"Yeah...that thing's like ten minutes late, remember?"

"Oh shit!" Casey grabbed her bag.

"You better run," Enobaria laughed. "Aria's not her usual cheery self today."

Casey managed to slip into work fifteen minutes late without being noticed, but that didn't matter. Aria was on the warpath, and she was yelling at everyone for the tiniest thing. Casey was glad when she saw her finally head up to her private lounge. At least now she could relax.

"How much?" She looked up. A Batarian was grinning at her, holding up a credit chit.

"Five credits," she replied.

"Not for the drink," he grinned again. "For you."

_I hate Omega._

* * *

Casey arrived at the clinic the next morning in relatively high spirits. Other than that one customer who couldn't understand that she wasn't for sale, she'd had a relatively good night, and she liked this job. Her boss was a Doctor called Mordin Solus, and he had a funny way about him that Casey couldn't help but like. He was also kind, and trying to do good things for the people of Omega, something that was in relatively short supply.

"Got the meds," she said, smiling as she placed the bag on the table next to Mordin.

"Ah excellent, very grateful, would've gone myself but stuck examining mutated strain of plague half of the night, fascinating though, did you know-"

"I probably didn't," Casey cut him off. Mordin smiled, she was one of the few people who he allowed to stop him mid flow. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and he gently grasped Casey's arm. He'd noticed the purple bruise on her wrist. "Pressure mark, hurt yourself? No, not a knock, mark suggests being restrained."

"Just a customer, didn't understand the words "not for sale", I'm fine," Casey said, trying to smile.

"Human?" Mordin asked.

"Batarian."

Mordin snorted angrily. "Should've assumed as much. Vile creatures, vicious."

Casey patted Mordin's shoulder. "I'm fine Doctor. Now, I should see to the Turian they brought in yesterday."

* * *

Casey had been at work for a few hours, and was heading towards Mordin's office with lunch. When she got there, however, he wasn't there. "Where's Doctor Solus?" She asked one of the Mechs.

"Doctor Mordin Solus was hired earlier today by Commander Shepard of the Normandy. He left the Clinic immediately."

Casey felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Mordin, gone? The one person she could depend on? The person who had given her the job that kept her going? The one person, other than Enobaria, who seemed to care about her?

At that moment the door opened, and Mordin appeared, followed by Commander Shepard. Casey had never met him, but she'd seen his face on recruitment ads, and on news vids after that Turian attacked the Citadel. She briefly recalled hearing that he'd died, but clearly not. He was accompanied by a pretty woman in a white bodysuit, and a Turian. Mordin was talking rapidly, either to himself or to Shepard, Casey wasn't sure, and from the looks of it Shepard wasn't either. "Need to organise samples, give to David to take control of, he'll need the mechs too, though Blue Suns shouldn't be much of an issue now, Batarians might get aggressive again, definitely keep mechs powered on."

He caught sight of Casey and smiled. "Ah, just the person I was looking for."

"I heard you're leaving, Doctor." Casey replied, trying to sound happy for him.

"Indeed, but have request for Shepard, if you'll agree Casey, need assistant on this ship, Cerberus ship, good to have a human I trust, no one quite as useful in my research, this is what you call a 'deal breaker', Shepard."

Casey had to give herself a moment to figure that out, then, "wait, you want me to come with you?"

Mordin nodded. The three strangers looked unsure. "I don't think that's a good idea," the Turian began, and Shepard shook his head. "This mission, there's a chance we won't come back," he began. "We can't bring civilians into that."

Mordin was looking at her, he obviously wasn't going to push it unless she wanted to come. So many thoughts were rushing through her mind, but within seconds she knew what she wanted. She gave Mordin a small nod, and he smiled. "As I said Shepard, these are my terms."

Shepard sighed, "You're sure?"

"Yes," Casey replied. Shepard smiled, he had a kind face.

The Turian didn't look sure, he seemed to be looking her up and down, probably thinking she'd snap in half at the first sound of gunfire. The woman, however, was more vocal. "No bloody way, this isn't a cruise, we can't cater for people who don't know how to look after themselves."

"You heard the man," Shepard said, nodding at Mordin. "She's part of the deal."

"She looks like she can handle herself," the Turian said. He had a deep gravelly voice, and didn't take his eyes off her while he spoke.

The woman, sighed, exasperated, and left the room. Shepard came over and shook her hand, "welcome aboard," he said.

"Thanks," Casey replied, her heart hammering in her throat. "I'm Casey."

"Commander Shepard."

He let go of her hand, and the Turian took it next. His grip was much stronger than Shepard's but just as friendly. "Garrus Vakarian" he said.

Casey nodded. Was she going to regret this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a quick note, this gets a little sexy later on (nothing too graphic for now), so just a little warning there ;) Also I've chosen characters I liked from all Mass Effect games, and will continue to add them wherever I feel they'd fit, regardless of what game they're from, and where the story is going. This story is based around ME2 type scenarios, for example, but I've included Traynor and Vega because I really like them. **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think :)**

* * *

Casey wasn't a scientist. She wasn't a Doctor. She barely qualified as a Nurse (it usually took her three attempts to take blood from a Salarian, which really wasn't a difficult task). So as much as she tried to play along with Mordin's deception that she was a valuable asset, and he simply couldn't function without her, she pretty much spent all her time in his way. She soon realised that the crew weren't about to throw her out of the airlock for leaving the lab, and so she took to finding other jobs.

She'd been aboard the Normandy for two weeks now, but Casey doubted she'd ever get used to living on a ship. It wasn't the noise: truth be told the Normandy ran so silently she often had to look out of a window before she knew whether they were flying or docked. It was more like the sterility of the environment. Everything was pristine. Casey found herself more than once wandering around this little room underneath the engineering deck: the darkness and piles of crates made her feel almost like she was back on Omega. It wasn't that she missed the place, far from it, she'd never fit in living in Omega. But with her tangles of hair, clumsy nature, and bitten nails Casey didn't feel like she fit in here either.

Then there was the crew. No doubt about it, Shepard was assembling a strange bunch. She'd heard rumours about Cerberus, the company they were supposedly working for (she wasn't sure if they actually were, because Shepard denied it so often), that they were some kind of inclusive, pro human group. The number of different people aboard the ship, however, suggested otherwise.

There was Shepard: who Casey, after two weeks aboard, still felt like she knew nothing about. He was constantly leaving to recruit new team members, or rescue people from dire situations. Casey had probably spoken to him twice, and though he was friendly enough, she felt like she was in his way too.

Then there was the woman, who Casey learned was called Miranda. She was Shepard's second in command, though clearly had ambitions above this. Whenever Shepard wasn't aboard, Miranda clomped around in her ridiculous heels telling everyone what to do. Casey tried to stay out of her way, no reason to give Miranda more ammunition than necessary.

Often following Miranda around like a lost puppy was Jacob: an ex-alliance soldier who had a serious crush. Casey didn't blame him, Miranda's outfit got everyone's attention. Jacob seemed ok, far too interested in his fitness regime to cause Casey any problems, and he was polite enough whenever they met. She preferred James Vega, another ex-alliance who'd fought the enemy they were now pursuing (Casey didn't even really know who they were after, something about kidnapped colonists. She was seriously in the dark). Vega had made a real effort to welcome Casey, though she thought it might have been more to do with wanting to get into her knickers than anything else.

There was a Krogan who lived on the engineering deck, and Casey liked him. You knew where you stood with Krogan (usually well out of their way!), and he'd been surprisingly good company when Casey had been attempting to avoid Miranda: telling stories about what the Krogan did to the people they didn't like. Casey was in no hurry to take his advice, as all his stories usually ended with "and all that was left was a puddle on the floor" and a little laugh, but he was fun all the same. Mordin said there was something special about his genes, but then Mordin said that about pretty much everyone's genes, so Casey didn't pay too much attention.

Mordin was his usual self, if anything, his constant monologue had stepped up a gear since arriving on the Normandy, and Casey often had to work as a translator for him whenever he got over excited.

And what about the Turian, Garrus Vakarian? Casey had barely seen him since boarding. He was usually off with Shepard, or doing something or other in the gun battery. He seemed friendly enough, but whenever Casey got the opportunity to speak to him she completely froze. There was something about Turians that always made Casey nervous: maybe it was the proud way they carried themselves, or that she'd never seen one laugh. When Garrus walked past, Casey felt herself sinking into the walls, averting her gaze so she wouldn't find herself trapped in an awkward conversation: which is what almost always happened when she met new people.

The person Casey had really bonded with was Samantha Traynor. Casey wasn't exactly sure what her job was, but she'd been the first person to offer Casey a cup of tea and show her to her quarters, obviously realising how overwhelmed she was when she arrived on the Normandy. Casey's quarters were quite something: smaller than her apartment on Omega, but clean, bright, and _hers._ There was no room in the support staff quarters, so Casey had been given a room of her own.

* * *

Today, after once again failing to be any help to Mordin, Casey had found a new job. Hamster hunter. Shepard, for whatever reason, had a pet Hamster in his cabin. However, it had somehow escaped its cage. Casey had a feeling it was something to do with Ken from engineering, who'd gone into Shepard's cabin to drop off some notes, and had come out again looking very shifty and covered in woodshavings. Casey assumed he'd knocked the cage over and just run out, but she knew he'd never admit it. This was why she'd spent the last hour crawling around the lower levels of engineering, holding out a bag of sunflower seeds, and making squeaky noises.

"Mindy," Casey whispered. She didn't know what Shepard had called the Hamster, but she'd decided it looked like a Mindy.

Just when she'd finally caught sight of the thing, there was a loud noise over head, and Grunt stomped down the stairs. The Hamster disappeared.

"Where is it?" Grunt snorted.

"What?" Casey asked.

"That...that thing. The thing that's been crawling around inside the walls, scratching and squeaking."

"Mindy?"

Grunt raised an eyebrow, or he would've done if Krogan had eyebrows. In any case, he did the equivalent. "Mindy?"

"The Hamster?"

"Little furry thing with no real purpose?"

Casey smiled, "yes, Mindy."

"It's been driving me crazy for hours, I finally chased it out of my room, but it got away before I could stomp on it."

_So I've been crawling around on the floor down here for an hour, and it was in Grunt's room until five minutes ago? _Casey felt a bit foolish as she tried to dust herself off without Grunt noticing.

"It's Shepard's pet," Casey began with a smile, "not sure he'd want you stamping on it."

Grunt seemed to be thinking. "I'll help you catch it."

Casey felt her eyes widen. "Oh...umm...no, don't worry, you're busy, I'll find it."

"Not asking," Grunt replied, leaning down to look under a pile of crates. "You'll find it quicker with me."

"...Ok..." Casey eyed Grunt's large boots. He wasn't exactly nimble on his feet, one wrong step and Mindy would be in Hamster Heaven.

Grunt gave his little laugh, "No stamping, I promise."

Casey and Grunt spent a companionable couple of hours chasing the little furball across the Normandy. They thought they'd hit the jackpot when they spotted her on Joker's console. However Grunt's attempts to 'gently scoop' the creature up ended up in him hitting the console so hard that the Normandy went into a nose dive. Casey got the impression Grunt wasn't too concerned about Mindy's safety, and they were both asked in no uncertain terms to leave the cockpit.

Eventually, and with little help from Grunt, Casey managed to catch Mindy. She held the Hamster between her hands, and Grunt sniffed her suspiciously. "What does it do?"

"She doesn't do anything, she just...is..."

Grunt looked sceptical. "What does it eat?"

Casey held up the bag of sunflower seeds. Grunt peered in, and then laughed. Clearly believing that Casey was pulling his leg about a creature who didn't eat living things, he slapped her across the back for a job well done (nearly causing Casey to fall into the window), and headed off, still chuckling.

* * *

Casey brought Mindy back to Shepard's cabin, depositing her safely back in her cage. She swept up the remaining wood shavings: with luck Shepard would never know anything had ever happened. As she turned to leave, Casey caught sight of a framed picture on Shepard's desk. It was of a pretty Asari. She was smiling and waving shyly at whoever was taking the picture. Casey had never seen this Asari before: she wasn't aboard the Normandy. Maybe it was Shepard's girlfriend? Everybody loved the Asari after all. Even Casey had had fling with one before. She smiled as the memory came rushing back.

"_What's your name?" _

"_Casey." Casey didn't need to ask who the Asari was. Everyone on Omega knew Aria T'Loak. Aria smiled as Casey put the drinks down on the table in her private room. _

"_Casey," Aria said the name as if it was a delicious candy she was rolling around in her mouth. "Do you like working here Casey?" _

"_Oh...yes." _

_Aria laughed. "If a customer asks you that question, just smile and nod, because you can't lie worth a shit." _

_Casey was nervous. She needed this job, she couldn't afford to upset the boss. _

"_Unfreeze," Aria said, standing up and moving closer. "I'm not gonna fire you for being a bad liar. Besides, you're the reason half the Batarians come here. Most of them have got a fetish for humans, some kind of dominance thing, and you look positively terrified half the time." _

"_I can take care of myself," Casey said, surprised at herself. _

_Aria laughed, "really? I'd like to see that..." She came closer still, and now Casey could smell her: a mixture of exotic spices. It was quick, Aria had moved her arm as if to hit Casey, but she'd grabbed it at the last moment. Aria smiled, trying the same thing again, but Casey blocked her again. _

_Aria's grin widened, and within seconds her lips were on Casey's. Casey was shocked, but she didn't fight it. Aria was too strong anyway. Still holding Casey's arm, Aria threw her onto the couch, moving to kiss Casey's neck. Casey gasped, Aria's gentle lips were forceful, passionate. And now her hands were ripping at Casey's dress, forcefully tearing it off her until she lay there in her underwear. Aria stopped, looking down at her. She grinned again, and pulled off Casey's bra, revealing her pert breasts. Casey couldn't believe how aroused she was, but she'd never been with a woman before, she didn't know what to do. Aria noticed her pause, "first time?" She asked, a note of laughter in her voice. Casey nodded. "I won't be gentle," Aria continued, grabbing Casey's hand and putting it under her own shirt. Casey felt Aria's nipples harden beneath her touch. _

_Then Aria removed her own clothes, talking as she did. "Human men like Asari because we're so like human women, only a bit more...exotic. What most of them don't know is why human women like Asari." She was just in her panties now, and Casey gasped. She watched as something began to harden and stretch out the material of Aria's lace underwear. "We change, based on our partner," Aria added, climbing on top of Casey. Casey's hand reached out, feeling Aria's growing member, which was barely contained now. "This I know how to work with", Casey thought with a smile. And reached inside the panties to release Aria... _

"Ahem," Casey spun around. Standing in front of her was Garrus Vakarian. _Oh no! _Could he see how red she'd gone? There's no way he'd know what she was just thinking about, right? Luckily he seemed too preoccupied, "I'm glad I found you, Shepard's been hurt."

"What happened?" Casey asked, following him to the elevator.

"Got hit by a powerful biotic field, knocked him out."

* * *

They arrived at the med bay within minutes, and Mordin was scanning Shepard with his omni-tool. "Casey, glad you're here. Hit with strong field, interfered with Cerberus upgrades, may be offline for a few days, need blood sample."

_Oh...my specialty. _Casey thought, grabbing the syringe. She moved over to Shepard, glad Mordin was preoccupied with something else. Did it matter if she missed the vein? Shepard was unconscious anyway. But unfortunately Garrus was right beside her. Close beside her. She could feel his breath on her neck. She took a deep breath, and got it right first time.

* * *

Later that night, when Shepard had been stabilised, Casey returned to her cabin. She was feeling exhausted, but in the mood to finish the memory from Shepard's cabin. She closed her eyes, _heat from the body beside her, breath on her neck. _But then she realised, it wasn't Aria she wanted to think about...


	3. Chapter 3

Shepard had been unconscious for two days now, but Mordin didn't seem worried. Apparently the biotic field had hit him hard into a wall, which had rattled around his Cerberus upgrades. Mordin said that he'd fixed it so it shouldn't happen again, but that Shepard just needed a few days to recover. And this is why Casey found herself, for the second day in a row, sitting at Shepard's bedside. She wasn't supposed to do anything in particular, Mordin just asked her to keep Shepard under observation. Casey couldn't help but feel like she was being punished. A couple of days ago she had come into Mordin's lab with her arms full of equipment, and not looking where she was going, had managed to trip over her own feet and fall into Mordin's prized 'DNA collection'. If Casey had met anyone else who collected test tubes of blood, she would've thought they were psychotic...but Mordin wasn't like other people, and so this seemed perfectly normal. After she'd helped clean up the multi-coloured puddle, and asked Mordin about the tube labelled 'Casey' (only to be met with a shifty expression and a stuttered "someone else"), she'd been bumped down to observation duty.

If there was one perk to this job, other than counting how many times she could catch Doctor Chakwas playing Turian Tetris on her omni-tool, it was getting to watch the crew as they visited Shepard. Jacob and James were pretty much the same as ever, cracking jokes and saying things like "you'll be on your feet in no time soldier". It was only when James told a particularly smutty joke about why there were no Asari men, and Jacob started getting misty eyed about his father that Casey hinted Shepard needed rest. It was Miranda who shocked her, she seemed devastated about Shepard's injuries, even though she knew he'd be awake in a few days. Casey might've even thought she'd caught Miranda crying, though on reflection that didn't seem right: to cry you'd have to have some kind of heart.

Grunt had arrived a few hours ago, clutching a potted plant he'd picked up from the Citadel (where they'd docked this morning). He'd obviously heard that humans traditionally brought flowers to those who were sick, and had thought it best to oblige...however Grunt was from Tuchunka, and unfortunately, so was the plant. After thanking Grunt, wrestling her finger out of the jaws of the plant, thanking Grunt again, and wiping the blood on her shirt, Casey had watched as the plant broke free of its pot and ran for the air duct. Grunt had left the room with one of his signature laughs, muttering "little tyke," and so Casey had had to ask Ken from engineering to try and catch it for her. He'd laughed, and promised he'd get hold of "the wee weed".

* * *

A couple of hours later, after wrapping up Ken's savaged hand, Casey found herself alone in the med bay. She looked at the clock, midday. She was starving, and anxious to stretch her legs. At that moment Mordin came in. "Ah, Casey, how is the patient?"

"No change Doctor," Casey replied.

"Didn't expect so, still, no reason to worry, as I said, just got a bit rattled, rest good for Shepard, doubt he sleeps much, never in quarters..."

Casey felt her eyes glaze over slightly and watched through the window to the mess hall as Ken Donnelly approached Mess Sergeant Gardner and seemed to be arguing about something. Eventually Gardner shrugged his shoulders and passed Donnelly a large knife. Donnelly held it in the air like a sword, and disappeared.

"...and so thought you would appreciate it." Mordin finished with a smile, and looked at Casey expectantly.

_Shit. _She couldn't tell him she hadn't been listening, otherwise he might take back whatever he was offering. Time for a gamble.

"Umm...thanks..." Casey replied.

Mordin smiled. "Chop chop, won't be docked here forever."

He was giving her the day off! She could go for lunch on the Citadel, a place she hadn't been for years, the place she'd told Mordin she desperately wanted to visit again!

"You're the best Doctor Solus!" She cried, kissing him on his cheek, before practically skipping out of the door. As she quickly got changed she hoped he wasn't too embarrassed, Salarians weren't big on displays of affection like that. Hopefully he didn't think she was propositioning him!

* * *

As Casey left the ship she noticed Garrus and Miranda up ahead. She could hear fragments of their conversation.

"What if she won't come with us?" Garrus asked. The hairs on Casey's arms stood on end, what was it about his voice that always seemed to do that? Was it all Turians? She hadn't noticed it before.

"We'll make her. She agreed to the terms when the Illusive Man contacted her," Miranda replied.

"She agreed to come with Shepard, Shepard isn't here. She won't trust Cerberus," Garrus continued.

"Don't colour her with your opinions of us Vakarian. Goto agreed, now let's get moving."

The two of them disappeared down an alleyway, and Casey continued alone. So they were recruiting someone new? Casey had finally pieced together their mission now: they were going after the Collectors, and alien species which had been abducting human colonists in the Terminus systems. Casey had only ever seen the Collectors in cheap horror movies: she thought they were a myth, cooked up to try and keep humans in council space. But Shepard said they were real, and who was she to argue?

Casey found herself in a little cafe in the Presidium commons. She'd been here before with her parents. Every few years they liked to leave Earth and visit the Citadel: they thought it was good for Casey to see lots of different species as she grew up, and Earth was so humanly populated that they had to come here. Casey had loved these trips: her parents were so busy working back on Earth that it had been the only real time they'd been able to spend together. After the Asari took her order, Casey drank to her parents memory.

It was only after she'd finished her first glass that she got the feeling she was being watched. She looked around: the place was crowded, but other than the Batarian at the bar who appeared to be winking at her, no one was specifically watching her. When Casey turned back to her seat, however, she was surprised to find another woman sitting at the table. She wore a hood, so low Casey could barely see her eyes.

"Hello," the woman said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Hi," Casey replied.

"Kasumi Goto," the woman held out her hand, and Casey shook it.

"You're from Shepard's ship."

It wasn't so much a question, as a statement, but Casey nodded anyway. "You're the person who's coming to work with us?"

Goto's smile flickered, "Well that depends. I was promised I'd be working with the great Commander Shepard, not Cerberus. Yet it's not Shepard I see leaving the ship: but some smug looking Cerberus woman a Turian, and you."

Casey couldn't help but smile at Goto's description of Miranda, but she tried to look professional. "Shepard's injured. Nothing critical, but he couldn't come to meet you."

"Injured? That doesn't fill me with confidence."

"Like I said, nothing critical, and it was an issue with some of his implants. It's been fixed now."

Goto looked like she was thinking for a few moments. "What's your name?"

"Casey."

"What do you do on the Normandy?"

_Oh come on, why don't you ask me an easy question?! Like, "what's the meaning of life?" or "How does Miranda manage to pour herself into that suit?" _As Casey watched Ken Donnelly leave the nearest shop carrying what appeared to be a rocket launcher, she thought of the last thing she'd actually done on the ship, and Mordin's test tubes flickered in her mind.

"I spill blood..."

Goto shifted in her seat, "You're a soldier?"

Casey laughed. "No, just clumsy. I'm kind of a nurse."

Goto seemed to relax. "Can I ask you another question Casey?"

Casey nodded.

"Are you Shepard's friend?"

Casey thought for a few moments, before answering truthfully. "No."

"Do you trust him?"

Casey didn't need to think about that one. "Yes."

"You think he'll keep you safe?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you think he'll be true to his word? The Illusive Man promised Shepard would help me with something, something important."

Casey nodded, "If Shepard said he'd do it. He'll do it."

Goto smiled. "Well then, let's see your ship."

* * *

Kasumi had decided to travel to the Normandy cloaked, that is, she could make herself invisible. "Just a precaution," she whispered to Casey as they walked. "The Council may notice that missing piece of tech any moment now."

Casey giggled, then realised how odd she would look, walking alone and giggling to herself.

When they reached the Normandy, Casey could hear Miranda's raised voice.

"I knew we couldn't trust a sodding thief!"

Garrus was there too, and his tone was as calm as it always was. "She agreed to travel with Shepard, and Shepard wasn't there. We'll just have to hope he wakes up soon enough that she'll still be here."

"No bloody way, I'm going to get the Illusive Man to terminate her contract, we don't need to waste our time with amateurs."

At that moment Kasumi appeared at Casey's side. "I can just tell we're going to be best friends," she said, a wicked grin on her face.

"Goto?" Miranda looked both confused and furious, eyeing both Kasumi and Casey suspiciously.

"_Miss_ Goto, if you don't mind. Casey was just getting me up to speed. Now, where are my quarters?"

Miranda looked momentarily shocked, before regaining her usual self-importance. "This way," she said through gritted teeth.

Casey felt a smile crawl across her lips, and tried to hide it. She caught sight of Joker, who was grinning wickedly. "That was awesome," he laughed, turning back to the controls. "EDI, save the security footage, I wanna see the look on Miranda's face again."

Casey turned to Garrus, who also seemed to be smiling, though looking at Casey curiously. "Nice work," he said.

"Throblem." She replied, before feeling her face burn. "I mean...I meant to say thanks, then I tried to say no problem, and it kind of ran together..."

Garrus' smile widened, but he didn't say anything, and Casey scuttled out of sight.

* * *

That night, Casey was back on observation duty. Which gave her the wonderful opportunity to think about the "throblem" moment over and over again. She heard the med bay door open, and turned to see the last person she wanted to see, Garrus Vakarian. His lips twitched at the sight of her, which made her blush even more.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi-low" he replied. "See, I tried to say hi and hello at the same time, but, well, you know."

Casey laughed, "Very good."

"Been working on it all evening," he replied, sitting at the seat next to her. "How's Shepard?"

"Same as usual, though Mordin thinks he'll wake up tomorrow."

"Good..." Garrus seemed to be thinking. "I don't like seeing him like this. Reminds me of the last time he got hurt. Well...less hurt...more...dead."

Casey nodded, remembering how she hadn't seen Garrus visit Shepard since he was brought in.

"Turians aren't good with sickness," Garrus continued. "When we get hurt in battle, we get up or die. Not much room in the middle." He paused, then hurriedly added, "not that I want Shepard to die! I just...uh..."

Casey smiled, "I know what you meant. I'm not good with this kind of thing either. My parents...they were killed by slavers. I sat with them for hours after it happened, in a hospital room. This kind of reminds me of back then." It wasn't something that had crossed her mind until she just said it, but it all came rushing back: the cold walls, the glaring white lights, her parent's clothes, soaked in blood.

She felt Garrus put his hand on hers. "We'll keep each other company for a while then, and not think about it."

His hand was strong, so strong she was certain he could break hers with just a grasp of his fingers. But he held her hand gently, and it made her feel safe. The hairs on her arms stood on end again, and she felt something stirring between her legs.

"GOT IT!"

Garrus dropped her hand, and they both turned to see Ken Donnelly enter. He was filthy, covered in what looked like a mixture of blood, dirt, engine oil, and some kind of green liquid. He was limping, but held up Grunt's plant, now devoid of any leaves and clearly dead like a trophy.

Casey had never wanted to kill anyone before. But at that moment, she felt pretty damn close.


	4. Chapter 4

_Casey looked up. Garrus was standing in her doorway. She was very aware that she was only wearing a towel. "What are you doing here?" She asked._

"_I came to fix the photocopier…"_

Where did that come from? Some cheesy porn movie? He definitely wouldn't say that.

"_I mean, I came to deliver a pizza…"_

Where were these lines coming from? Casey clearly wasn't very good at imagining this stuff. Ok then, he just wouldn't talk. She turned her vibrating toothbrush back on, slipped it down against her skin.

_Garrus came in. He didn't say anything_. Yes, that worked better_. He walked over to Casey and gently pulled her towel off. Cold air rushed against her skin. He looked at her for a few moments, taking everything in. His eyes surveyed her smooth neck, her pert, round breasts. Her heart was hammering and there was a tightening between her legs. Garrus put his hand on her breast, gently at first, but then his mouth was on hers, and he was cupping her firmly between his fingers. He was rough, Casey liked that. She felt his other hand slip between her legs, a finger slide up inside her…._

Casey's private terminal pinged.

_Garrus' fingers were moving roughly inside her now, and she was close._

The terminal pinged again.

_Garrus stopped. Now he was just standing there. _She'd lost it, the moment was gone. The image of him was fading from her mind. Casey sighed, _note to self: turn terminal off next time. _

She put the toothbrush down and pulled her trousers back on. She sat at her little desk and checked her messages. There was one new one flashing up on screen.

From: UNKNOWN

Casey smiled, she didn't know how Kasumi managed to mess with the on board messaging system so easily, but she knew it drove the Illusive Man crazy. The message read: Case, briefing at 09.00 tomorrow morning. Be there, things are about to get exciting!

Casey had no idea what exciting things were happening, but did she just get invited to the team briefing? She was never asked to those: no reason to be, Casey wasn't a Doctor, she wasn't a strategist, and she couldn't hold a gun. To be honest she could barely bandage a cut, still hadn't worked out which bathroom was the women's, and often dropped her fork in the middle of eating. It was a miracle she'd survived as long as she had!

Still, if Kasumi invited her, who was she to argue? Casey liked Kasumi, they'd become friends during the week she'd been aboard. Shepard had woken up soon after Kasumi arrived, and so Casey had lost her 'observation' job. This meant she had a lot of free time to kill between her new job of delivering the crew their lunches, and so she often hung out with Kasumi in her room. Kasumi had so many stories, she'd done so many things, yet she seemed genuinely interested in the things Casey had to say, and actually laughed at Casey's lame jokes. Casey decided then and there, that if there was any way she could contribute to the group, any way she could help Kasumi, she'd do it.

* * *

Casey arrived at the briefing a little late, on account of a run in with a door that didn't open on time. After Doctor Chakwas had wiped off the blood and confirmed Casey hadn't damaged anything important, it was already half past nine. Casey hoped she'd be able to slip into the briefing unnoticed, unfortunately the rest of the team were assembled, and examining a holographic representation of a large building at the meeting table. Shepard, Kasumi, Miranda, Mordin, Grunt, Garrus, Jacob, and James turned as Casey entered.

"Yes?" Miranda asked expectantly.

"Umm…I'm here for the briefing…"

Miranda looked like she was going to laugh, but Shepard stepped in. "Kasumi told me she'd invited you, take a seat Casey." He smiled, and immediately Casey felt at ease. "How's your head? Doctor Chakwas messaged me to say you'd walked into a door?"

Casey's face began to burn. "It's fine," she muttered, hurriedly sitting down at a chair in the corner. She noticed a grin spread over James' face, and, to her horror, Garrus' too.

"As I was saying," Kasumi began, a note of laughter in her voice, "The plan is to infiltrate the home of Donovan Hock, genius, criminal, and all round low life. He's got my ex partner's greybox, which contains information that, if allowed to fall into the wrong hands, could start a war. He's also got a number of Alliance officials in the lower levels of his mansion. We believe he may be keeping them as leverage, for when his crimes against the colony on Tiptree are discovered."

Casey was trying very hard to keep up.

"So," Kasumi continued. "We split into two teams. One team to free the officials and steal the data hidden on Hock's computer, data which confirms his involvement in these activities, and the other to find the greybox, which I have found out is hidden in Hock's study."

"How do you want to split the teams?" Shepard asked.

"I'll need to be with the people freeing the hostages, I'm the only one who'll be able to hack into the underground facility. I'll need you too Shep, for the less subtle side of things."

"Shooting up the place and generally making a mess?" Garrus asked. The others laughed.

"For that reason, and because we're expecting a lot of resistance, I'll need you boys too," Kasumi said, pointing to Jacob, James, and Garrus.

"What about the other team?" Shepard asked.

"There's only one way to get into Hock's study, and that's through his bedroom. Now we're choosing to do this tomorrow because Hock will be throwing a huge party for the scum of the galaxy. Hock will then be inviting an array of, well, 'ladies of the night', into his bedroom. They'll get ready in there, and bring various…gentlemen in during the evening. We need someone to pose as one of these ladies, gain access to Hock's study, and find the graybox."

The others turned to Miranda, who was shaking her head. "It can't be me, Hock's met me before when he did a deal with the Illusive man: he'll recognise me instantly."

"And it can't be you," Shepard added, looking at Kasumi, "You've already said we need your hacking skills."

"Exactly," Kasumi nodded.

"So who?" Shepard asked.

Slowly, Casey felt all the eyes in the room turn to her. For a moment, she wasn't exactly sure what was going on, then it dawned on her.

"Her?" Miranda asked doubtfully.

"She's perfect," Kasumi replied. "Hock's never met her, she's pretty, and she doesn't look like she'd be any trouble."

Some of the others looked doubtful, but James was grinning. "Sweet little Casey acting the part of a hooker? I'd pay to see that."

"I'm not sure about this," Shepard began. "Casey's got no training, how's she meant to get into Hock's study?" Mordin was shaking his head too, looking very nervous.

Kasumi smiled. "All the ladies bring a bodyguard, and our Casey's got herself some Krogan protection. Grunt takes out the other body guards. Quietly," she added, noticing Grunt's smile. "I've already seen to it that all the alcohol is spiked, Grunt makes sure the bodyguards in the room next door drink it, Casey does the same for the girls. Once they're out, you find the secret entrance to the study, grab the greybox and get out. It will be in a safe, and I can programme your omni-tool to override it. Any questions?"

* * *

Casey had hundreds of questions, unfortunately she hadn't thought of them at the time, and now, as the shuttle took off, it felt like too late. She was wearing the outfit Kasumi had provided, which was much more revealing than anything she'd ever worn before. It was pretty much a red bikini, with a few lines of material falling from the top part to join with the bottom part, with a tiny skirt wrapped around. She felt naked, and wrapped herself in a coat as they rode the shuttle to the house.

When they reached the back entrance, Casey was forced to take the coat off, and was just glad that James and the others were in the other shuttle. Grunt wasn't one to be interested in this type of outfit, and simply looked her up and down before saying "You'd be easy to stab in that." She couldn't help but smile: trust a Krogan to see it that way.

Grunt gestured to the door, and Casey stepped out into the evening air, her arms folded across her chest. Grunt walked behind her, as instructed. Casey noticed other women, wearing similar outfits to hers, all heading in the same direction. "Walk different." Grunt hissed.

"What?"

"You don't look like them." He was right, they all walked with confidence, their breasts pushed out and with big smiles. She wasn't going to fool anyone unless she stepped her game up. Casey unfolded her arms, plastered a false smile on her face, and tried to walk with confidence. It was hard to look confident, however, when Casey kept losing her balance in her heels. And Grunt laughing every time she stumbled didn't exactly help.

* * *

The girls were brought up to Hock's room, which was larger than Casey's old apartment. It was luxuriously decorated, with a lot of gold furniture. The bed was huge, and covered in red sheets. The walls were also dark red, and there were lots of paintings of women in various states of undress. Casey could see a balcony containing a hot tub beyond some large glass doors. She and the other girls were asked to line up, the body guards to the side. Grunt wasn't the only Krogan. There were two more, as well as a Turian, three humans, and a Drell. Casey glanced down the line at the other girls: there were two humans as well as herself, three Asari, a Quarian, which would have been the most surprising, if it wasn't for the Hanar at the end. All were silent, as if they'd done this a thousand times, and so Casey followed suit. Soon, Hock entered the room. He was tall, dark haired, and had a strong jaw. He also had the look of someone who thought very highly of himself. Hock was accompanied by two heavily armed human men. He made his way down the line, asking the names of the girls, and occasionally touching one. He seemed to know a few of them, but Casey didn't trust his friendly tone. Finally he got to her at the end of the line. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Casey," she replied. There was no need for a fake name, not really.

"It's your first time at one of my parties?" He asked. As he did so, his hand moved to Casey's left breast. He placed it there for a moment, and Casey tried to act like this was the most natural thing in the world.

"Yes."

His hand was still on her breast, but now he was stroking it slightly. Casey glanced at Grunt, who was scowling noticeably. His hands were clenched at his sides. She gave a brief shake of her head, unnoticeable unless you'd been looking for it, but Grunt seemed to understand, and relaxed his face. He still kept his eyes on her, and she thought he might've been clenching his teeth. She knew he couldn't look angry: he had to look like this was normal otherwise the others would get suspicious. This was meant to be his job after all.

Hock's thumb was against Casey's nipple now, stroking it through the fabric, but he continued to talk to all of the girls as if this wasn't the case.

"For those of you who have been her before, welcome back. For the new girls, a few points. You are here to do a job, a job you do well. You should enjoy yourselves, the guests will want you to look like you're having fun, but remember who you work for. Everyone at this party is here to have a good time, you must make sure they get it."

Casey's heart was hammering. This man was a criminal, he was dangerous, yet his fingers, still stroking her nipple, were doing something to her. She was enjoying it, and she hated herself for it. She felt her nipple hardening under his touch. _It's normal, it's not him, it's what he's doing. _She knew this was right, she wasn't attracted to this man, yet she was aroused, and she hated herself for it. Thankfully Hock finished his little speech and stopped what he was doing.

"I look forward to seeing you later," he said, looking Casey up and down one final time. "Have a good night ladies."

And with that he left.

_Phew. _Casey thought. _That can't happen again. As soon as we finish this job, I need to get laid. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry to break up the story, but I just wanted to say thank you for the lovely comments and messages about the story so far! If you have a moment to write a short review or send me a quick message then it's always really appreciated: it's my favourite thing to know that i'm writing for people who actually enjoy reading my stuff :) So, that's it, thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoy my story as it develops!**

* * *

Casey had never spoken to a hooker before. She'd seen them, there had been hundreds on Omega, but she'd never actually had a conversation with one. Yet here she was now, making small talk with an Asari who had apparently been 'on the game' longer than Casey had been alive.

"You look nervous," the Asari said, straightening her own skimpy outfit. It seemed to be a few sizes too small, and her breasts were barely contained. Then Casey realised that was probably how it was supposed to be, and kicked herself for being so innocent.

"I'm fine," Casey lied, watching Grunt and the other body guards leave the room. She had a few minutes before the spiked wine arrived, and didn't really know what to do with herself. "Have you been here before?" Casey asked the Asari.

"A couple of times. You're lucky, it's a great gig, if you do a good job the first time Hock invites you back. He usually pays more too. I'll be earning twice what you do today sweetheart." She grinned, finally happy with how her sparkly bikini looked.

"But what I'm earning, is nothing compared to her," the Asari added, pointing to the other side of the room. Casey followed her gaze and saw the Quarian.

"Men pay big money to sleep with a Quarian, and Hock's gotta make sure she's stocked up on meds. No one wants a girl dying in the middle of the act. She's paid five times more than we could ever hope to be." The Asari grinned again. "Don't let what you hear about Quarian women being all sweet and innocent fool you, she's cutthroat, and out to make as much money as possible before her pissy immune system stops her from working."

Casey wasn't sure what to say, but at that moment the wine arrived, and now she had to think. In order to get into the study, she had to get the girls to drink the wine. But how could she do it? She'd need to encourage them without looking suspicious, and without being forced to drink any herself. She wished she'd asked Kasumi for ideas...

_Thud._

Casey turned around. One after the other, the girls dropped their glasses and fell to the floor, fast asleep. "Oh," Casey mumbled. Well, that was easier than she thought.

* * *

Casey began to search the room for any sign of a secret entrance. Her Omni-tool pinged, and she pressed the 'answer' button. "How's it going?" Kasumi's voice drifted up to her.

"Fine, girls are knocked out."

"Good girl," Kasumi replied. "We're just landing now, should be underground in a few minutes. I'm hoping Hock won't know we're there until the last minute, but if he should find out, grab the greybox and radio Cortez, he'll pick you up."

"Ok," Casey replied, and Kasumi hung up.

Casey heard the door open, and spun around nervously, but it was only Grunt.

"Body guards are knocked out," he said, striding into the room.

"They drunk the wine?"

"Sure," Grunt replied absentmindedly. Casey looked at him properly for the first time, and noticed the front of his red armour was glistening, he was covered in blood!

Casey narrowed her gaze. "So they all drank the wine? No problems at all?"

"That's right."

"...Because that was the plan. No shooting necessary, remember?"

"...What are you getting at Casey?"

Casey sighed, "Grunt, you're covered in blood."

Grunt looked shifty. "Oh...uh...well, the Turian didn't want to drink the wine, so I thought I'd just give him a friendly push."

"Uh huh."

"But then the Drell, well you know how they are, he got all suspicious...so I...you know..."

"Shot him?"

"Only once! Then I made him drink the wine. Long story short they're all unconscious. So, let's find this room!"

Casey shook her head, and continued her search of the bedroom. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, a secret switch? A hidden door? A giant sign that said 'super secret study over here'?

"Nice!" Grunt cried from the other side of the room.

"You found it?" Casey asked expectantly, rushing over. But Grunt was flicking through the channels of a giant TV.

"This guy's got like every station!Llook, I can watch Varren racing live from Tuchanka!"

Casey gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder, "Grunt! Focus!"

She went back to the portion of the room she was exploring before, and found herself standing in front of a large painting of Donovan Hock. Laying on the bed behind him were a myriad of women, but he wasn't looking at them, he was staring straight out at Casey. _Creep. _She thought, but just as she was about to move away she noticed something in the picture, a small bump where his crotch had been painted, not more than a couple of centimetres across. Casey shrugged, what was there to lose? She pressed it, and suddenly the wall itself seemed to slide away, revealing another wall behind, only this one had a door on it. "Secret button in his crotch?" She muttered out loud. _This guy was beyond sleazy. _

"Grunt! I've found it!" Casey hissed, stepping over one of the Hanar prostitute's tentacles and entering the next room. It was much smaller than the bedroom, containing a desk, a number of book cases, some chairs, and a large safe. "Let's hope Kasumi's code works," Casey muttered, holding her Omni-tool against the metal. She was in luck, within a few seconds the door opened, revealing the contents of the safe. There was money, a lot of it, and a small grey device.

"That must be it," Grunt said, and Casey nodded, reaching out and grabbing the greybox. She was about to call Kasumi, when suddenly an alarm sounded.

"Sounds like they've noticed Shepard, big surprise," Grunt said with a little laugh.

"Let's get out of here," Casey hissed.

* * *

The two of them went back into Hock's bedroom. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones in there. Seven armed men stared back at them, and Casey was very aware that she was in possession of something which was clearly not hers, and that she was also not wearing body armour. Before she realised what was happening, Grunt had grabbed her by the arm and flung her behind one of the large chairs. Gunfire rang out, as Grunt and the men fired at each other. Casey tried to put her hands over her ears, swearing out loud because she had no damn pockets to put the greybox in.

She looked up as one of the guards got past Grunt to where she was, but he fell down dead before he had time to fire on her. "Thanks!" She shouted to Grunt, but he was too busy shouting at the guards. It was his usual "I am Krogan!" and "How do you like that?!" Krogan liked to narrate their battles, but as long as she was safe, Casey didn't care.

However it didn't look like she'd be safe for long, she could hear more guards enter the room. She chanced a glance above the sofa, and watched as they began to surround Grunt. He couldn't see the ones now behind him. Without thinking, Casey grabbed the gun of the dead man next to her, and opened fire on the new guards. Grunt spun around and laughed, still firing on some of the others, "Nice work Casey!"

"Over there!" Another guard cried.

"The whore's got the greybox!"

Someone was behind her, and they put their arms around her neck. Grunt was preoccupied now: he was fighting off three others, one of whom had jumped onto his back. Casey stepped to the left and rammed her elbow into the stomach of the one who had grabbed her as hard as she could. He may have been wearing armour, but it shocked him, and he let go for a moment. Casey used her new pistol to fire a shot into his leg, and he fell onto the floor. "I am not a whore!" She cried, kicking him in the stomach.

She turned, more guards were coming into the room, and Grunt was clearly out of ammo. "Grunt!" She picked up the assault rifle of the man she'd shot, and threw it to Grunt. He smiled, catching it with one hand and unloading a barrage of bullets into the approaching guards. "Where are they coming from?" She yelled. Another one had got past Grunt, and Casey tried to shoot him, but her pistol was empty. "Grunt!" She shouted.

Without needing further explanation Grunt threw her back the assault rifle, now launching himself into three guards, and smashing their heads together. Casey shot the guard as he reached for her, then threw the gun back to Grunt in time for him to unload on two more.

"Get to the study!" Grunt yelled, "I can handle the rest."

Casey nodded, grabbed the greybox and ran to the study, slamming the door behind her. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She moved to a chair by the wall and sunk into it, hoping to catch her breath. Unfortunately, this was apparently not a normal chair, as within seconds it had tilted forwards, causing Casey to slide through a trapdoor which had opened up in the floor.

She screamed all the way down, but before she had time to consider where she was going, she'd hit the floor. Slowly, Casey got to her feet. It was cold, and it didn't take her long to realise Hock must've had more than one secret entrance to his underground facility. She'd been lucky enough to find the other one. And...apparently her luck was going to hold, as she heard the sound of feet running towards her. She sighed.

Rounding the corner was another army of guards. They slowed when they saw her, clearly unsure what a woman in a red bikini was doing in a secret base, however one of them pointed at the greybox, and shouted "it's the whore!"

_Oh great, my reputation precedes me. _Casey turned and ran in the opposite direction, thankful that during either the chaos upstairs or the slide down that she'd somehow lost both of her ridiculous high heeled shoes. She managed to keep some distance from the men, but as she turned a corner she felt herself grabbed and pulled into a gap between two huge crates.

* * *

Casey tried to scream, but a hand was over her mouth. She looked into the eyes of her attacker. _Wait, she knew those eyes. _It was Garrus! He removed his hand from her mouth, and raised a finger to his lips. She nodded. The guards had rounded the corner, and Garrus pressed himself against her, blending them into the shadows. Casey's heart hammered. Garrus' armour was relatively thick, but he was still only inches from her skin. She felt his warm breath on her face. The weight of his body had her completely at his mercy. She hoped he couldn't hear her heart racing, and if he did, that he'd think it was from the running.

And then the moment was over, he moved back against the wall of the other crate. "Are you ok?" He asked in a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"Trapdoor, I kind of, fell in..."

"Is Grunt ok?"

"I think so...there were a lot of guards."

Garrus seemed to smile, but she couldn't be sure in the dark. "Oh I'm sure he's having the time of his life."

"Where are the others?" Casey asked.

"We freed the officials, but we got separated. I was on my way to the landing pad when the guards arrived. We should be able to get past now though."

Garrus moved out of the space, and Casey followed.

"I found the greybox," she said, holding it up.

"Nice work," Garrus replied. "You want me to take it? Can't imagine that outfit's got many pockets." He looked her up and down, a smile playing on his lips. Casey blushed furiously, feeling more naked than ever, and passed him the greybox.

* * *

They'd been walking for several minutes when they saw the guards. There were only three of them, but they were blocking the exit. Shepard had radioed, they were ready to go, Grunt included. All Garrus and Casey had to do was get past this last group. "Stay here," Garrus breathed, taking his sniper rifle in hand. He moved behind some more crates and lined up a shot. Casey wasn't sure how he did it, but within seconds all three men were on the ground, and he'd only fired one shot!

She was about to go over, when she noticed a figure heading towards Garrus, who was checking if the coast was clear. It was Hock! He was covered in blood, obviously been presumed dead, but he was very much alive. He approached Garrus, raising his gun. Casey didn't know what to do, if she yelled he might fire! But she couldn't do nothing! She took a breath and ran, as silently as she could, towards Hock. When she reached him she grabbed him around the neck.

_BANG!_

His gun had fired, but he'd missed Garrus. He dropped his gun as he fought against her, but she held on to him with all her might. Hock clawed at her arms, trying to free himself. Garrus turned around and ran to Casey, who was now really fighting to keep Hock contained. With one last burst of energy she kneed him in the small of his back and he fell to his knees. Garrus lined up the shot.

"Wait!"

It was Shepard! He was running towards them, James and Miranda with him. "He's more useful alive," Shepard said, and Garrus lowered his rifle with a nod. Shepard looked at Casey, "Nice work."

She nodded, unsure what to say.

"Well done," Miranda added, actually looking mildly impressed.

"And nice outfit." James quipped, "You gotta fight with us more often."

"I agree," said Garrus, looking at Casey with an expression she couldn't read.


	6. Chapter 6

Casey couldn't sleep. It had been three nights since the mission in Hock's base, and yet she'd been wide awake ever since. The first night she'd thought it was just the excitement of the evening, and had busied herself playing a strategy game Samantha Traynor had leant her. The second night, Casey had reorganised her whole cabin. Now, after finishing the game three times over, and with nothing left to organise, Casey found herself roaming the ship. She'd wandered around Engineering, fiddled with things Mordin would never have let her touch in the Lab, hid the evidence of the things she'd broken, and was now walking laps around the Galaxy map.

It was three in the morning, and almost everyone else was in bed. There were a couple of crew members using the consoles surrounding the galaxy map, who gave Casey a sleepy nod, but that was it. The cockpit was empty: even Joker had to sleep sometimes. EDI was in charge most nights, something which Joker had finally accepted. After completing her third lap of the map, and realising she was getting some strange looks, Casey headed back to the elevator.

When she got out at the crew quarters level, she intended to head back to her room. But then, for no real reason, decided that maybe a shower would help her to relax. The one in her room was broken. It had been dripping, and Casey had made the mistake of asking Mordin (who happened to be passing) to take a quick look at it. Unfortunately, Mordin's undeniable genius apparently did not extend to plumbing. After walking out of the bathroom drenched, and holding the shower head and a large hammer, Casey's bathroom had been roped off until someone more qualified could repair the shower, and clear the mess.

The crew bathrooms were fine, though, and Casey decided then and there to have a hot shower before attempting sleep again. The door to the bathrooms opened with a click, and she sleepily walked inside. It was this tiredness that stopped her from not only realising these were not the women's bathrooms, but also that one of the showers was already in use. She didn't see the completely naked James Vega until she was practically face to face with him.

"Ohmygodsorry!" She stuttered, immediately turning her back on him. But it was too late, she'd already seen everything. She knew he was ripped, but she hadn't anticipated just how muscular he really was underneath his clothes. The water glistened on his tanned skin, sliding across every toned muscle. And between his legs was something larger than she would've given him credit for: long, thick, and smooth. No wonder he was so smug sometimes.

She heard him laugh. "Hey Case, what's up?" He didn't sound embarrassed at all, in fact he seemed positively relaxed. Casey tried to mimic his tone, but her voice sounded higher than usual.

"Nothing, just...came in for a shower. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd shower...to help me sleep...because I couldn't." Her eyes flicked to his face, he was grinning broadly.

"Uhuh. Well, there's plenty of room, you're welcome to join me."

"Oh...um...no. That's fine...thanks." She turned on her heel and scuttled out of the room before her face boiled any more out of pure shame.

But Casey had finally solved her insomnia. She didn't have feelings for Vega, but the sight of him like that gave her more than enough material for use with her electric toothbrush when she got back to her room. When she'd finally finished she fell into a deeper sleep than she'd had in a long time.

* * *

"We're going out tonight."

Casey looked up. Kasumi, with her usual respect for other people's privacy, had let herself into Casey's room, and was already picking up various objects from her desk. "Do come in," Casey said sarcastically, but with a smile. She was sitting on her bed, towel drying her hair: she'd waited till the morning to have a shower, didn't want to risk another encounter. What if she walked in on Shepard? Or Garrus?

_That wouldn't be so bad..._

"Casey?" Kasumi looked at her questioningly.

"Huh?"

"I said we're going out tonight. We dock at the Citadel again in a few hours, and we thought we'd try out Chora's den. It's had a remodel since Sovereign's attack, now it's got a huge dance floor. You in?"

"I'm not much of a dancer..."

"You haven't seen Shepard."

Casey smiled. She _could_ use a night out, and good or not, she loved dancing. "Ok, I'm in!"

"I knew you would be," Kasumi said with a wink. "I thought we could get ready together, you, me and Traynor."

"Let's invite Tali," Casey added. Tali was the newest crew member, who had arrived only a couple of days ago out of the blue. She, Shepard, and Garrus went way back, and she was already making herself more useful down in Engineering than Casey could ever hope to be.

"Ok fine, but I'm not big on Quarians. I can't trust anyone whose face I can't see."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Yeah that would be really annoying."

Kasumi, who hadn't taken off her hood once since boarding the Normandy stuck out her tongue, before leaving Casey's room.

Casey finished towelling her hair. A night on the town could be fun, but she'd have to watch it. Casey was well known amongst her friends on Earth for being a lightweight, and alcohol tended to make her brutally honest. She couldn't risk getting completely drunk and asking a certain Turian to mount her.

_Just a couple of drinks Casey, no more. _

* * *

Apparently Kasumi had very different ideas about what 'getting ready together' meant. Casey had assumed they'd have a drink or two, get dressed, and generally have girl talk. Kasumi let herself into Casey's room (obviously), began pouring a blue liquid into shot glasses, threw copies of Fornax (an Alien porn magazine) onto the bed, and proceeded to tell a story about the last man she'd slept with and his strange fetish for women in fur underwear.

Casey hadn't even recognised Kasumi at first: wondering why a beautiful girl with long black hair and heavily made up eyes was now in her room. It was only because she recognised Kasumi's voice that she realised it was her. "No hood?" Casey asked.

"Not tonight," Kasumi replied. "But call me Cindy for the rest of the evening." She smiled. At that moment Tali and Traynor arrived, and the group began to drink. Tali's suit didn't seem to slow her down, and soon all of the girls were more than a little tipsy.

An hour in, and Kasumi sat at Casey's desk, adding more dark smudges to her eye make-up while singing along with a song she'd programmed in to Casey's sound system. Tali was pouring the drinks, and trying to work out the best way to drink a shot without taking her mask off. Traynor and Casey were laying on their stomachs on the bed, flipping through the Fornax magazines.

"Looking at naked men can't be that much fun with Traynor for company," Kasumi said with a smile.

"Just because it's not my thing, doesn't mean I can't appreciate the wonderful male form..." Traynor began to laugh. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face. Penises are vile."

The others laughed. Traynor turned her page and gasped, before quickly turning to another. Casey heard her mutter "how can a Krogan bend like that?"

Casey turned the page on her copy, and was met with a picture of a Turian man and woman. The picture was formal, they were pretty much just standing up and staring at the camera. "This isn't like the others," she said, showing the picture to Traynor.

"Well...they're Turian. Their porn is always going to be regimented," Traynor shrugged matter-of-factly. "Like everything else, their smutty material is ordered and to the point...And speaking of points..." She gestured to the naked Turian and Casey gasped. She'd thought James was well-endowed, but this guy had that beat. She didn't want to look too closely, not with Traynor beside her, but his huge member seemed to be ridged too. Her mind wandered to Garrus, and she shook herself back to reality before she started to blush.

"I don't get Turian women," Traynor said. "No hair, no breasts...where's the fun in that?"

Kasumi laughed. "Traynor, you have a crush on EDI's voice, how can you talk?"

The girls laughed, then there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Kasumi yelled.

"Should I just move out?" Casey grinned.

Miranda appeared at the door. "Just thought I'd let you know, we're leaving now."

There was an awkward silence, and Casey suddenly felt extremely guilty that none of them had thought to invite Miranda to get ready with them. "Thanks," she said, and Miranda nodded, before leaving.

"We should have invited her," Casey said.

"No way," Kasumi replied. "What would we even talk about?"

"I don't trust her," Tali added.

"I think she's alright," said Traynor with a smile.

"That's only because she has hair and boobs," Kasumi laughed.

Casey got to her feet, stumbling slightly. _Oh God..._She hoped she wouldn't do anything she'd regret tonight.

* * *

The club was heaving by the time they arrived. A lot of the crew had decided to come: Shepard, Grunt, Garrus, Miranda, Kasumi, Tali, Traynor, James, and Jacob. Ordering the first round of drinks took twenty minutes on its own, but eventually everyone was laughing and talking at the bar. Casey found herself next to James, which made her blush again. "Hey," he said, giving her a smile that showed he was enjoying how embarrassed she felt.

"Hi."

James laughed, "Don't blush Case, we're good."

Casey smiled.

"To be honest, I'm still hurting that you didn't wanna shower with me," James grinned again and Casey slapped him gently on the arm.

"What were you doing up anyway?" She asked him. He shrugged.

"I dunno, I just can't sleep sometimes."

"I couldn't sleep either, hadn't in three days."

He was nodding. "That's understandable, first time you've shot anyone?"

Casey wasn't expecting that, a reminder of the Hock mission. "Yeah?" She replied, not sure where this was going. "But I didn't kill anyone...at least, I'm pretty sure I didn't."

"Doesn't matter," James replied. "You still did a huge thing: you caused someone serious injury. Now don't get me wrong: you were right to do it, they would've killed you if you didn't, but somewhere in your head, that shocked you. It does something to you. Something you can't avoid even if you're not thinking about it. And trust me, if you ever have to kill someone, like, blow their brains out right in front of you, you won't be sleeping for a long time."

Casey fell silent for a moment. "So what do you do?"

James grinned. "I drink...and sleep with gorgeous crew members." He winked at her, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll meet you halfway, let's drink."

"What are we drinking to?" Garrus was standing behind Casey when he spoke, which almost made her spill her drink in surprise. She spun around, but James already answered, "We're drinking to forget...and instead of sleeping with each other."

Casey wanted to die, but though Garrus looked a little confused, he smiled, and raised his bottle.

James turned to talk to Jacob, and so Casey and Garrus were left alone. "Having fun?" He asked.

Casey nodded.

"Ever been here before?"

She shook her head.

_Ok Casey, maybe use some actual words next time? _

"Do you dance?" She asked, relieved that she could actually speak.

"Afraid not. Turian's aren't exactly graceful. We don't dance."

Casey's eyes scanned the dancefloor. "What about him?" She pointed to a Turian male who was at that moment sliding his whole body against a pole meant for one of the Asari dancers, who looked incredibly pissed at him. He held his bottle of beer in the air like a trophy, before spilling it down himself, then attempting to form a two person conga line with the Asari.

Casey turned back to Garrus, who appeared to be wincing. "Let me rephrase that. Turian's aren't graceful, and those with even a modicum of self respect don't dance."

"Casey!" Kasumi staggered slightly as she approached, and grabbed Casey's hand. "Dance with me!" It wasn't a question, and Casey gave Garrus an apologetic look as she was dragged away.

* * *

The dance floor was packed, and Casey found herself lost in the music within moments. She loved dancing, and didn't even mind when Kasumi ran to the bathroom to throw up. She stayed there by herself, watching as the other crew members came and went.

Tali and Traynor danced with her for a while, but Tali, apparently just as much of a lightweight as Casey, soon joined the incredibly drunk Turian, who was now on one of the revolving platforms. Traynor seemed to be having a conversation with the Asari dancer who he'd kicked off, and the two of them headed back towards the bar. Jacob, Shepard, and Miranda were dancing together a bit further away, and Casey didn't mind the distance. Shepard really was a terrible dancer. Grunt and Garrus were at the bar, apparently engaged in some kind of drinking contest. Soon James was at her side.

"Hey, if you don't wanna sleep with me, do you think you could dance with me instead?"

Casey laughed, and allowed him to pull her a little closer. James was a good dancer, and it was nice to have someone to talk to while they danced. He was constantly making jokes about the people around them, and Casey soon realised how much she liked James. Not in _that _way, but then she doubted he felt that way about her either, he just liked to flirt.

Casey's mouth was dry. "I'm going to get a drink," she yelled in James' ear, and he nodded. She watched as he turned and pulled Tali off the stage, and began to dance with her.

When Casey arrived at the bar, she felt two strong hands grasp her, and was immediately pulled onto Grunt's lap. "There's the girl!" Grunt said with a laugh. "Casey the warrior! Took down twenty guards on her own the other night!"

Casey laughed, "I'm pretty sure that wasn't what happened, Grunt."

He clapped her across the shoulder, she wished he realised how much that hurt! "She's a great girl. Hands down, my favourite alien...Well...Shepard's alright too I guess."

Garrus gave a little cough. Grunt slid Casey off his lap, and clapped Garrus around the shoulder too. "And you! You're pretty good, for a Turian. But you're no Casey!"

Garrus laughed.

"Now!" Grunt roared, "More drinks! Let me show this Turian who the true master is!"

* * *

Casey had a shot with Garrus and Grunt, and then a pitcher of water to wash away the awful taste. When she arrived back on the dance floor James was gone, but Tali was back on the stage, so she carried on dancing. She realised within a few minutes that someone was watching her. A human man began to dance with her, and though he was attractive enough, she didn't like how close he was getting. "Hey beautiful," he breathed. She could smell the alcohol on him. He tried to pull her closer but she shook her hands free.

"Come here, I won't bite," he slurred.

"No, I'm fine," she replied. She was never good at giving men the brush off, mostly because pretty much the only men who came on to her were patrons of Afterlife, and Aria had always been very clear that you had to make the customers feel like you were into them.

"Come on," the guy tried to pull her in again, and she shook her head. "What, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, she does." Casey's heart pounded, Garrus was standing beside her, and firmly pushed the man's hand off Casey's arm. The guy held up his arms in apology, and moved away.

Garrus put his hands on Casey's waist and began to dance with her. "I'll stay a while if you want, so he doesn't come back?"

Casey took a few moments to make sure she didn't say anything stupid, and tried to sound casual. "Thanks, I thought you didn't dance?"

Garrus leaned in. "I'm very drunk."

They danced together without talking for a few moments. Casey tried not to look up into his eyes too often: she didn't want to look creepy, but whenever she did he seemed to be looking at her. She felt like she was trembling, and hoped he didn't notice. She was practically burning with desire at being held this closely. Garrus' hands were strong and held her tight, and she knew that if he wanted to, he could bend her over the stage right now and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Suddenly a group of Alliance soldiers shoved past, causing Garrus' arms to reposition themselves. It took Casey a few seconds to realise his hands were now on her behind. He didn't move them. Did he not notice? Or did he want them to be there? She chanced a glace in his eyes.

He knew.


	7. Chapter 7

Casey wasn't sure how long they'd been dancing: it had probably been no more than a couple of minutes, but her heart had been hammering the entire time. At one point Garrus seemed like he might have been about to move his hands, so Casey took a breath and looked up into his eyes. She didn't say anything, but kept eye contact, and his hands stayed where they were.

Suddenly there was a crash behind them, and Casey turned her head to see Tali and the drunk Turian fall off the stage. They both got up, giggling, and continued to dance. Tali waved at Casey and Garrus, and so did the other Turian, though it was pretty clear he actually had no idea who he was waving to. He was also wearing what looked like a wizard's hat. Casey let her eyes roam over the crowd: Miranda and Shepard were dancing together at the other side of the dance floor, with Jacob and Kasumi not far away from them. Kasumi was attempting to drape herself over Jacob, but he seemed completely oblivious to her advances.

"Everyone seems to be having fun," Garrus purred in her ear.

Casey nodded, turning back to face him.

"I didn't get a chance to say, you look lovely tonight," Garrus added. Casey smiled, mentally reminding herself to thank Kasumi for the makeover. Her tangles of red hair had been tidied, and now a waterfall of glossy locks swayed around her shoulders. Her eyes had been outlined in black by Kasumi's deft fingers, and the little red dress she'd borrowed left very little to the imagination.

The music slowed, and all around them couples were entwining. She moved closer to Garrus, whose entire body seemed to stiffen. Eventually, though, he relaxed, and the two of them swayed together with the music. Casey wasn't sure what it was he smelled of, only that it was completely intoxicating, and she couldn't help but breathe him in. His hands were still on her behind, but now he was gently stroking her, sending sparks through her entire body. He leaned down and appeared to be smelling her hair. _Just take me now. Just grab me by the hair and drag me somewhere. Let me wrap my legs around you..._

"We need to go."

Casey turned around, Shepard was standing beside them. Immediately Garrus dropped his hands from Casey's body. "What's wrong?" He asked, now all business. Shepard pointed to the bar, where Grunt appeared to be having a heated argument with two other Krogan. Of course, a heated argument for Grunt involved a broken bottle and a shotgun. Shepard then pointed to the revolving stage, where Tali and the drunk Turian appeared to be engaged in some kind of erotic dance (or at least thought they were. In reality they kept stumbling over and barely touched each other). Finally Shepard pointed to the other side of the dance floor, where James and Jacob were fighting with four other human men.

"Right…" Garrus sighed. "I think our night's over."

* * *

Back on the ship, after a stern talking to by Shepard, the crew continued to drink around the large table in the mess hall. The mood was relatively light. James and Jacob (both holding ice packs to their various bruises) were arguing playfully about who'd taken the first punch, while Shepard attempted to explain the rules of some sport to Miranda. Grunt was explaining to Casey why he'd started the fight with the two Krogan (apparently "you can't handle your ryncol" was a good enough insult to warrant violence). Soon, however, Tali began to fall asleep where she sat, and so Kasumi and Casey decided to take her back to her room.

"It's a good thing I'm in this suit, otherwise I might've gotten really drunk…" Tali slurred, as Casey tucked her into bed.

"Uhuh," Casey replied, grinning at Kasumi.

"That would be embarrassing, I'm not a graceful drunk…"

"Oh I'm sure that's not true," Casey soothed.

Within seconds Tali was asleep, and Kasumi sat on the bed beside her. "Well, that was a good night…except for the fighting…and the awful dancing…and the fact that Jacob still seems to have no idea I'm alive…"

Casey smiled.

"What was going on with you and Garrus?" Kasumi asked. "You seemed very close at one point. I only noticed because I was attempting to lean back on Jacob seductively, but he'd already walked away, and yours was the last face I saw before I hit the floor and passed out for a few minutes…"

Casey felt her face burning. "Oh…we were just dancing."

"Right," said Kasumi with a wink. "Well you looked cute anyway. I'm going to bed now, I'll see you in the morning."

She and Casey left the room, and Casey headed back towards the mess. As she rounded the corner she heard her name, and stopped. She could just see the table: Garrus, James, and Grunt were the only ones left, and Grunt looked like he might be asleep. She thought it was James who had said her name, and stayed where she was, feeling a bit bad for listening, but ultimately curious.

"What do you mean?" Garrus asked.

"Well, I just noticed the two of you dancing together, you know, before that guy socked me right in the face. I was just wondering whether there's something going on there?" James' voice was slightly muffled by his new fat lip, but it was clear enough.

"Me and Casey? Nah." Garrus replied. Casey felt her stomach drop.

"You sure? You were pretty close."

"There's nothing going on. She's a human."

Casey stared at the floor. Of course he wouldn't be interested in her. They were different species for goodness sakes!

"You've got a thing for the Quarian, right?" James asked.

"Tali?"

"Yeah, I mean, Turian's and Quarian's always get together, and you guys are close right?"

"Yeah, Tali's special..." Garrus began.

"Well I say you're missing out buddy." James finished, reaching for his drink. "If a fine girl like Casey was dancing like that with me, no way she'd be sleeping alone tonight."

"Really?" Garrus asked, with a strange laugh.

"Sure. She's hot, funny, sweeter than anything. Any guy would be lucky to have her."

Casey wanted nothing more than to go back to her room, but she needed to get her bag from the table: her door code had been changed, and the new one was on a scrap of paper at the bottom of her bag. She took a breath and headed over. Garrus had a strange look on his face: perhaps he realised she'd heard everything he said? _Good, _Casey thought. _At least I know where I stand. _

"I'm going to bed," she said, as evenly as she could manage.

"Me too," James yawned.

"Good night," Garrus said, but Casey only nodded.

* * *

She and James walked in relative silence. When they reached the door to her room she punched in the code angrily. "Night Case," James said, giving her a friendly smile.

She didn't know what came over her: a mixture of realising she'd never be with Garrus, hearing James say those nice things about her, and the alcohol. Whatever it was, her lips were on James', and her arms were around his neck. He didn't seem to know what was happening either, but within seconds was kissing her back passionately, pulling her into her room. She ripped his shirt off, and let him pick her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He tasted like alcohol, and his kisses were hard and passionate.

Then they were on the bed, and he was tearing her dress off. She lay in her lace panties and bra, and watched as James surveyed her body with a smile on his face. He unclasped her bra, releasing her breasts. Her nipples hardened before he'd even locked his mouth over them, and she gasped as he ran his agile tongue across them.

She undid his belt, and soon he was only wearing his boxers. They strained against his growing member, and Casey ran her fingers along, stroking the material. James let out a little moan.

She pushed him onto his back, straddled him, and allowed his hands to roam over her breasts.

_There's nothing going on. She's human. _

_Tali's special. _

_She's human._

"Case, you ok?" Casey didn't realise there was a tear sliding down her cheek until James wiped it away. "We don't have to do this, I don't wanna take advantage."

Garrus would never want her. She and James would never be an item, but at least he was attracted to her. At least he was a good guy who liked her. At least he didn't laugh at the idea of them being together.

"I want this. I want one night." She said.

James grinned, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I think I can manage that."

He flipped her onto her back, and eased her out of her panties, kissing every inch of skin he uncovered. "You're beautiful," he breathed.

She reached out and released him from his underwear. She stroked the smooth shaft of his penis gently. James moaned again. He pushed her onto her back and she let out a giggle. He positioned himself between her legs, teasing her slightly by easing himself in, inch by inch. Her fingernails dug into his strong shoulders as she felt herself being filled up by him. When he was fully inside he drew himself out again slowly, then began a steady rhythm that became faster and harder. Casey couldn't believe how good it felt, and found herself lost in a moment of pure ecstasy. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the feeling of him inside her, but the world around her was beginning to blur, and she loved it.

He stopped, easing out of her. "Hey!" She protested, and he grinned wickedly.

"Turn around."

She sat up, but before doing what he asked, leaned forward and took him in her mouth. He gasped, grasping onto her shoulder for support. She tasted herself on him, and gently ran her tongue along his length. When she was done she turned over. "You're a bad girl," James breathed, moving inside her again.

* * *

When they had finally finished, James lay beside her, looking into her eyes. "That was amazing," he said.

She smiled, but didn't say anything. It had been amazing. She'd loved every minute of it, but now that it was over, she felt exactly like she did before. No. Worse. Because even though she knew Garrus wasn't interested, and would never be interested, she felt like she'd somehow ruined her chances.

"You ok?" James asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

James smiled, leaning forwards to give her a peck on the lips. "Anyone ever tell you you're a terrible liar?"

Casey smiled too, "Once."

"You're a great girl Case, and whoever you're thinking of right now, would be lucky to have you."

Casey stuttered, "What? I'm not thinking of-"

"Don't get me wrong, the sex was great. But I've been with enough women to know when they're thinking about me, and when they're not."

Casey didn't know what to say, but luckily James was still smiling.

"Hey, don't feel bad. I got to have sex with you, I'm pretty pleased with myself."

She gave him a gentle shove.

"But seriously Case, whoever this guy is, you should tell him how you feel."

"He's not interested."

"Then he's a fool. And probably a liar." James hopped out of bed, "I should probably go."

"Will you stay?" Casey heard herself saying. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts right now.

"I don't usually cuddle," James began. "But for you…"

* * *

When Casey woke up, James was still asleep. She needed coffee. Coffee would make things clearer. She shoved on some clothes and headed out. As she opened her door she practically bumped into Garrus, who was poised to knock on it.

"Oh, sorry!" She stuttered, worried about how much of a mess she probably looked, before realising it didn't matter anyway.

"Hey, rough night?" Garrus asked.

_Another way of saying "good morning, you look like shit." _Casey thought.

"You could say that," she replied.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Garrus began, but then he stopped. For a moment he said nothing, and Casey could've sworn he was smelling the air. Then his eyes flickered to the space behind her, and she turned to see what he was looking at. James. She forgot James was in her bed, and now Garrus had realised he was there. At that moment the blanket slid off his body to reveal, in case Garrus had been in any doubt, that he was in fact, completely naked.

Casey's face felt like it was about to melt. Garrus' mandibles twitched, and he stuttered slightly as he said "Oh, this is a bad time."

"No! No it's fine!" _Yeah great Casey, why don't you just invite him in to join the party?_

"We can talk later," Garrus said, already making a quick getaway.

Casey closed the door, all thoughts of coffee forgotten. She dropped onto the bed. Ok, so not only had she slept with a crew member, big mistake, but she'd also been found out by the one person she never wanted to know about this. Great.

Oh, and also, she thought she was probably in love with him. Fantastic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, thanks again for all the reviews and pm's about this story. I was planning on doing nothing today except gorging myself on Easter Eggs, but all your comments made me want to do nothing more than sit down and write the next chapter! This is a bit more dialogue based than usual, but I felt it was important before I moved on to the next part of the story, so I hope you enjoy, more to come very soon!**

* * *

_Casey knew it was now or ever. She took a deep breath and entered the Gun Battery. Garrus had his back to her, but turned around as she entered. _

"_Casey?" He greeted her nervously. _

"_Look, that thing with James the other night was just a drunken mistake."_

_Garrus smiled._

"_I'm not interested in James…I like you…"_

_Garrus pulled her closer to him. "I know," he said._

_Casey felt warm all over, and leaned in closer. Garrus continued, "but you're a human, and I'm a Turian. The thought of us together is just laughable. I don't even want to think about what you look like naked…"_

"Casey?"

Casey snapped out of her daydream at Mordin's voice. She was in the lab today, for the third day in a row since Garrus saw James in her room. Mordin had seemed shocked when she appeared three days ago, as if he'd forgotten that he invited her onto the ship because she was apparently 'invaluable' to him. Casey could see he didn't really know what to do with her, so she'd spent most of her time cleaning and organising (only to watch things be stealthily reorganised by Mordin later). She didn't mind, she wanted to keep out of everyone's way. She was sure they would've found out about her and James by now, and felt eyes on her wherever she went. Joker had told her she looked nice yesterday, and she was sure this was some kind of reference to what had happened. She'd stormed off before he'd even finished what he was saying.

And Garrus, what did Garrus think? Even if he wasn't interested in her, she didn't want him to think she was some tramp who slept her way through the ship. _Like Chambers_. Casey shuddered. Kelly Chambers was another crew member, a really nice girl who'd do a favour for anyone, but who seemed to have no sexual limitations. Casey wasn't even sure she had a bed of her own on the ship, the amount of times she'd seen her leaving other peoples.

"Sorry Doctor Solus," Casey replied, realising she'd been standing still, holding a container of what looked like green play dough for the last few minutes.

"It's fine, just not good to be in such close proximity to Varren faeces for too long: smell tends to spread."

_Ew. _Casey quickly put down the container.

"Something wrong?" Mordin continued.

"It's nothing."

"Are you sick? Symptoms suggest some sort of illness."

"Symptoms?"

"Tired, vacant expression, slow moving, long drawn-out sighs…"

"She's love sick, Mordin." Kasumi entered the lab, dropping down onto a stool by one of the tables opposite Casey. "Problem is, she won't tell me who she's pining over."

Mordin shifted nervously. "Ah. I'm afraid matters of the heart are not my expertise. Love related infections are more my specialty, managed to create a wonderful remedy for Krogan itch."

Casey and Kasumi looked at him blankly. Mordin cleared his throat, "When Krogan mate with other species there's a ninety-five percent chance of chafing, commonly referred to as Krogan itch, wrote paper on it. Krogan itch not too bad, Krogan related tearing is much more-"

"Yeah we got it Doc, thanks," Kasumi cut him off. Mordin nodded, and continued to reorganise Casey's filing. Kasumi leaned in closer to Casey and lowered her voice. "Haven't seen you in days._ I_ can make myself invisible, but you're pretty good at it too."

"I'm surprised it took you this long to find me actually," Casey said, sitting down beside her.

"You're clever, this was literally the last place I thought to look."

Casey smiled.

"So, I'm right aren't I? You're love sick."

"No, it's not that." Casey thought desperately of another reason she could give for acting so distant. Krogan itch wasn't looking so bad right now.

"Hmm, you're an awful liar."

"Yeah I get that a lot."

Kasumi got up with a sigh. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, you can at least come and get lunch with me."

"Oh, I can't, I'm needed here." Casey gestured towards Mordin, who, unfortunately, happened to stop humming at that exact moment.

"Don't be ridiculous Casey, need to eat, especially if trying to get over sexual related injury."

"No…Doctor I don't actually have-"

"Yes yes, food is the best thing for you. Out you go," and with that he waved Casey and Kasumi out of the lab.

* * *

Kasumi grilled Casey all the way to the mess, and didn't stop even when they were at the table with their food, with James only a few seats away. "It's someone on the ship right?"

"Kasumi, not now," Casey hissed.

"That's a yes," Kasumi replied with a smile. "Is it Edwards from Engineering?"

"The one with the eye patch?"

"I think he's mysterious," Kasumi giggled.

"No. It's not Edwards."

"Harris?"

"The one who calibrates the galaxy map?"

"Yeah."  
"The one who walks with a cane and calls me 'Carol'?"

"Yeah."

"…Seriously Kasumi? Those are the kinds of men you think I can get?"

Kasumi was laughing now. "Ok, I'm only teasing, but now I'm certain it's someone on the Normandy."

"What are we talking about?" James asked, moving to a chair next to Casey.

"Trying to work out who Case is crushing on," Kasumi said, stealing a piece of bread from James' plate. Casey felt her face burning, but James kept cool. "Well that's obvious," he replied. "It's totally me. I rocked her world the other night." Casey thought she was going to die, but Kasumi just laughed.

"In your dreams Vega." She got up to go and get a drink, and Casey exhaled.

"A little nervous there Case?" James grinned.

"Sorry, I just don't want to get a reputation…you know…"

"No sweat," James replied.

"So, you haven't told anyone?"

"No, course not. What happened was our business, no one else's." James grinned. "And it'll stay like that if you ever wanna go for round two."

He winked dramatically and Casey laughed, stealing the other piece of bread from his plate, and cramming it into her mouth before he could argue.

"I'm going to get a drink," she said with her mouth full.

"Yeah yeah, get out of here you animal," James laughed.

Casey made her way over to Kasumi, still struggling to swallow the bread. At that precise moment Garrus came in, and almost walked straight into her.

"Oh, sorry," he said with a smile.

Casey, with a mouth full of bread and a burning face just nodded.

"We have to stop doing that," Garrus added.

Casey didn't know what to say, so, instead of saying anything, made a little noise that was halfway between a laugh and a snort. Garrus smiled, grabbed his food, and went to sit next to Shepard. Casey had intended to scuttle back to her room, but she happened to glance at Kasumi, whose eyes had widened. She kept looking from Garrus, to Casey, and back again.

_Uh oh. _

* * *

Before Kasumi could say anything, Casey grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into Miranda's office, which was, mercifully, empty.

"It's Garrus!" Kasumi squealed.

"No it's not," Casey protested, but even she didn't believe herself.

"Puh-lease. You should've seen your face, and your whole body tensed up, and I'm not even going to mention that snort thing. Nice job on that by the way."

Casey dropped down onto the chair. "Alright. Fine."

Kasumi did a little spin on the spot. "This is so exciting, you and Garrus?"

"Oh, no…nothing's happened," Casey replied.

"But you want it to, right?"

Casey nodded, unable to say anything, and Kasumi started hopping about. "I'm going to set you up, it'll be perfect, and then you'll have to invite me to the wedding. I wonder if Turian's have cake we can eat, if not I'll have to smuggle some in, ooh I know the cutest little bakery with really low security-"

"Stop!" Casey said, getting to her feet. "Nothing's ever going to happen because he's not interested."

Kasumi's face fell. "He said that? I'll kick his-"

"No, he didn't say it to me…I overheard him talking to James. He said nothing would ever happen because I'm human. And he likes Tali anyway."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Tali?"

"Yeah, he said she's special."

"Huh, Tali said you hadn't spoken to her since the night on the Citadel. I assumed it was because you were as mortified as I was at her dancing…There's nothing going on there Case. They're friends."

Casey shook her head. "No, he likes her. Anyway it doesn't matter, I need to go back to the lab."

And she turned and left the room before Kasumi could say anything more. Unfortunately for Casey, it meant that she didn't hear the call Kasumi then made on her omni-tool.

* * *

"Come on, it's easy."

"Then why do you need me?" Casey protested.

"I need two pairs of hands, and Shep's counting on us."

Casey sighed, then nodded, following Kasumi out of the Normandy. They'd just docked on Noveria, where Shepard was making a deal with a known crime lord. Unfortunately for the criminal, while Shepard was playing nice, Kasumi was hacking the building security, so that when Shepard told this guy he was going to jail, he couldn't turn every mech in the place on him.

They didn't have to go far, just to a little maintenance room outside the docking area. Kasumi took out the guards while cloaked, and then Casey followed her inside. "What do you need me to do?" Casey asked.

"Nothing right now, but when it's time to punch in the final code, I need both of those wheels turned while I do it."

Casey looked at the metal wheels. "I can't reach both."

"I know," Kasumi said with her back turned. "I told you, I need two pairs of hands."

"Sorry I'm late." Casey turned to see Tali enter the room. _That sneaky little thief set this up! _Casey thought angrily. She was just wondering how Kasumi might subtly bring up the subject of Garrus, when Tali spoke again.

"So Casey, you've got a thing for Garrus?"

Casey rolled her eyes and looked at Kasumi, who was pointedly keeping her back turned. She sighed, _what's the point of lying? _"Yes."

"And you're mad at me because you heard him say I'm special?"

"Ok seriously, Kasumi?"

"Sorry," Kasumi replied, still working on the console.

"Casey, let me be honest with you," Tali began. "There is no way that Garrus is attracted to me at all."

Casey didn't want to meet Tali's gaze, which turned out to be easier than she thought, because she could barely tell where her eyes were under that mask anyway.

"Really," Tali persisted. "Garrus is like a brother to me."

"Not that it matters," Casey began, "But you not being attracted to him doesn't mean he's not attracted to you."

"Trust me," Tali began…

* * *

_Tali was drunk now. She didn't like it. But the Aliens were right, it numbed the hurt. She watched as Shepard danced with Liara. She didn't know when she first realised she was in love with Shepard: maybe right at the start. And now, they'd just defeated Soverign and the Geth, saved the whole Galaxy from a Reaper attack, and all she could think about during their celebrations on Illium was how much she wanted to be the one dancing with him. She'd never felt like this about a human before. She didn't even know much about their species. But Shepard was the one who had saved her life more times than she'd ever be able to repay him for. She guessed somewhere along the line she'd got the idea that he'd fallen for her too, but unfortunately that just wasn't true. _

"_Bosh-tet" she muttered, watching Liara and Shepard laughing together._

"_Something wrong?" She looked up, and could just about make out a blurry Garrus standing next to her. _

"_No…Wait…yes…My glass is empty."_

_Garrus smiled, or at least maybe he did. Damn lights were bouncing off her mask and distorting him. That was it. Not the alcohol. Alcohol good. _

"_Let's get you another one then," Garrus laughed. _

_Garrus was a good guy. Garrus was kind. Garrus bought drinks. Garrus had saved her life too. _

"_Garrus…" She muttered. _

"_Hmm?" He replied, paying the Asari behind the bar._

_She wrapped her arms around his waist. He turned, looking slightly shocked. _

"_We should just do it." She said._

"_Do it?...Do what?" He asked._

"_You know," Tali giggled. "Sex."_

_Garrus' mandibles twitched, and he smiled. "Tali, I have a feeling you won't even remember this tomorrow."_

"_So what? You're a little drunk, I'm a little drunk…"_

"_You're a lot drunk."_

"_I'm a lot drunk, whatever. The point is, we'd be great together. At least we can eat the same food…"_

_Garrus smiled, and gently kissed the top of her head. "Tali, I love you, but you're like my sister. And if there's one thing we learned from the Vorcha, it's that banging your sister is a big mistake." _

_Tali sighed. "Fine. Then buy your sister a drink."_

* * *

Casey couldn't believe it. "I guess I wasn't as drunk as I hoped," Tali began, "Because I remember everything. Luckily Garrus never brought it up: he's too much of a gentleman. But that's how I know he's not attracted to me, because I offered myself up to him on a plate and he said no."

"Maybe he didn't want to take advantage?" Casey asked.

"Maybe you're putting barriers in the way because you're scared to go for it," Kasumi said, coming over. "Come on, time to do your thing ladies."

Casey and Tali began to turn the wheels. They were heavy iron things that obviously hadn't moved in years. "You know what you should do? Wear something that shows off your waist, Turian's love that," Tali puffed, struggling to turn the wheel.

"Uh huh…"Casey replied.

"Stroke his fringe, that drives them wild!...Or so I've read," Kasumi added.

"You'd have to kiss or something first," Tali puffed. "That's like going from a handshake to sex…"

"Nothing wrong with that," Kasumi laughed.

"Girls, can we hurry this up?" Casey could barely talk, she was so tired from the effort she was exerting.

"This is good practice," Kasumi called.

"What do you mean?"

"You need to build up your stamina: Turian's are pretty energetic, and they like it rough," Kasumi finished.

"Or so you've read?" Tali laughed.

* * *

The mission had been going pretty well, the system had been hacked, and Shepard was going to arrest the crime lord any second. Unfortunately, some guards had stumbled across the bodies of the ones Kasumi had taken out, and were now roaming the area around the maintenance room, each carrying machine guns. The three women had therefore retreated into an air duct to hide. Unluckily for Casey, the conversation had not ended.

"They're pretty dominant," Kasumi whispered. "I think it's a species-wide thing."

"Shhhhh!" Casey breathed, peering through the gap in the vent at the nearest guard, who was stroking his gun affectionately.

"Yeah, Quarian men are similar actually, I think for them it's to do with being able to be in control of their bodies in at least one situation," Tali hissed.

"Seriously!" Casey breathed, "The guards are right outside."

"We'll be fine, I've called James, he'll be here any minute to take them out," Kasumi said. "Ah, now, James, I wonder what he'd be like?!"

"I bet he takes charge," Tali whispered.

"I don't know, all that muscle? Maybe he's trying to make up for something…"Kasumi giggled.

"That's definitely not the case," Casey said, before she even realised.

Kasumi's mouth fell open. Casey was met with a barrage of whispered questions from both women.

"When did this happen?"

"What does he look like, you know?"

"Did he initiate it?"

"What was it like?"

"Is it going to happen again?"

"Shhhhh!" Casey hissed, watching as a guard in the doorway glanced around. "Look," she breathed. "It happened once, it was a drunken mistake and it won't happen again. It was very good, but it was a mistake. A mistake!"

There was no time for any more questions, because at that moment James arrived and took out the guards, before rescuing the girls from the vent. Casey thought she would melt into the floor when the other two started giggling at the mere sight of him.

* * *

That night on the ship, everyone had dinner together to celebrate. And, as Casey was starting to notice was becoming a bit of a habit with the Normandy crew, everyone had a few drinks. Casey wasn't drinking, but still had a good time.

Around midnight she decided to go to bed, but as she headed down the corridor towards her room she found Garrus and James. Garrus had him by the throat, and held against the wall. He seemed to be having heated words with him, when he noticed Casey's presence. He dropped James, and stalked away, not looking Casey in the eye. James rubbed his throat, on which a large purple bruise was now flowering.

"What was that?" Casey asked.

"No idea," James spluttered. "I'd had a few drinks, and Ms Chambers asked me if I'd like to see her new tattoo. Well, it was in an intimate place, so we went into my room to look. When we came out Garrus is standing there, he waits till she's out of sight, then grabs me. Starts telling me I'm a worthless snake and that I needed to tell you….and I was like 'Casey? Why?' Which seemed to make him even madder."

Casey put her hand over her mouth. "Garrus saw you in my room, he must think we're together…"

"Ah, shit. And I look like a complete Dog." James rubbed his neck again. "Case you gotta tell him, he's my friend, but he's also on my squad, and we can't afford to be enemies. Or more accurately,_ I_ can't afford to be enemies with a Turian who could probably snap me in half."

Casey nodded, "I'll tell him now, I'm so sorry James."

James shook his head, "Hey, don't worry about it. I guess I am a bit of a Dog…I didn't think you'd mind about me…you know…"

"Oh I don't, it's fine," Casey replied honestly. "Us was just a one-time thing."

"That's what I figured, but still, I should've checked." He gave Casey a squeeze of the hand before she set off.

* * *

Garrus wasn't in the mess, so she headed for the Gun Battery.

He turned around when she entered. "Hey, I'm sorry you saw that. I just-"

"James and I aren't together," Casey blurted out.

Garrus didn't say anything for a moment, but he looked a bit confused. "Oh, but I saw him in your room, I assumed…"

"No, we just had sex." _Great Casey, that makes you look really classy. "_I mean, it was a drunken mistake, it should never have happened."

She waited for his reaction, and eventually he smiled. "I'm sorry, I made an assumption and I shouldn't have done. I should apologise to James."

"You don't have to, he's fine, he understands what happened."

Garrus nodded. "Still, it's only right for me to do it personally." He turned to leave.

"Thanks," Casey added. "For defending me."

Garrus smiled, "I guess it's the Turian in me, we're all about honour. Really it was none of my business, what you guys do is your decision."

He turned and left, leaving Casey feeling rather empty.

She didn't see the smile playing on his lips, the way he walked with a lighter stride than he had in three days.


	9. Chapter 9

"Get up."

Casey peered, bleary eyed, out of bed, to see Kasumi standing above her. She groaned, "You know, some people knock. I hear it's pretty common actually."

"Ha ha," Kasumi replied sarcastically. "Come on, get up." She ripped the blankets off, to reveal Casey in her pyjamas: green with little pyjaks on. "Cute."

Casey glanced at the clock, and then groaned. "Why are you waking me up? It's five thirty."

"Some of us are going to the shooting range."

"And that has _what_ to do with me?" Casey yawned.

"Garrus will be there." Kasumi put on a slushy voice, and continued. "Oh Garrus, please help me line up my shot." She then put on a gravelly voice, "Oh sure Casey, but let me take my pants off first…"  
"Very funny," Casey's voice was muffled, she'd slipped the blankets back over her head when Kasumi wasn't looking. Kasumi ripped them off, "Get up!"

"Fine," Casey huffed, she was definitely not a morning person. "But seriously, why am I going?"

"Shep wants all the crew down at the range, says we need the practice."

"All of us?" Casey asked, as Kasumi shoved a toothbrush into her mouth.

"Yep."

"Is it big enough for all of us?" Casey thought of the small practice range set up in the Shuttle Bay.

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Do you not know where we are?"

Without waiting for an answer she headed over to Casey's window and opened the shutter. Casey almost dropped her toothbrush in surprise: she'd know that miserable rock anywhere.

"Omega?"

"Yep."

"What are we doing in Omega?"

"Shep's meeting some Asari, a Justicar who's going to join our little group. Unfortunately she's after some murderer bla bla bla, long story short we're helping her catch the killer so she'll join us. But anyway, we're not doing that till later, and Shep thought it'd be good for all of us to go down to that giant shooting range under Afterlife, to get a little practice. So hurry up, and I'll meet you outside in ten minutes."

She was gone before Casey had a chance to argue. _Ten minutes?_ There was no way she could make herself presentable in ten minutes, and she didn't want to give Garrus another chance to realise why he was so un-attracted to humans. She sighed, looked in the mirror, and attempted to tame her hair.

* * *

"That was fifteen minutes," Kasumi said, looking at her Omni-tool as Casey left the ship.

Casey yawned by way of reply, and together they made their way through the streets of Omega. Casey wasn't sure if she was going to feel anything, coming back there, but wasn't really surprised to find that she didn't. Well, actually, that wasn't entirely true. She was a little sad. Not because she missed it, but because Omega was the place where she thought she'd start a life for herself. She'd left Earth so full of hope, yet within a few weeks of being on Omega it had been stamped out of her. She knew she owed a lot to this place, it was where she'd met Mordin, and if she hadn't been here she never would've even seen Shepard, let alone been allowed to join the Normandy crew. But she couldn't help but be upset, upset with Omega for not being everything she'd wanted it to be, and with herself for being so naive as to think it ever could.

They arrived at the firing range within a few minutes, and Casey was relieved to see she wasn't the only member of the Normandy crew who looked a little worse for wear. Kelly Chambers, in particular, couldn't stop yawning, and seemed to only have remembered to apply make up to half of her face. Ken Donnelly, who was at the spot next to her, kept looking at her, as if in shock. Samantha Traynor seemed to actually be wearing slippers. Casey went to join some of what she called 'lower level' crew. She included herself in this: the people who didn't make it into the major missions, but who spent most of their time working on the ship. People like Kelly, Ken, Samantha, and Gabby. But before she could take a spot, Kasumi grabbed her by the arm. "This way, Case."

She pulled her towards the far end, where Casey could see Miranda, Grunt, Mordin and Tali all firing at the target dummies. "Here?" Casey asked, looking around.

"Why not?" Kasumi asked, handing Casey a gun. It was lighter than she was expecting.

"Kasumi, I can't shoot. You can all shoot, I'll just embarrass myself." But Kasumi waved away her protests, picked up her own gun, and began firing.

Casey sighed, and lined up her shot.

Missed. _Obviously. _

She fired again, and missed again.

And again.

And again.

She felt her face burning, had anyone noticed? She hated Kasumi for putting her here.

"Need a hand?"

Casey froze. She knew that voice. She turned around, Garrus was standing behind her. She noticed that Kasumi had stopped firing her gun, obviously trying to listen in, so she gave her a sly kick before saying "I'm not sure there's anything you could do, I'm an awful shot."

Garrus smiled. "So was I when I started. I couldn't hit a three legged Varren." He paused for a moment, "Not that I shoot disabled animals…."

There was an awkward silence, then Casey let out a little giggle. Garrus seemed to relax. He took her gun and looked at it, "Hmm, I can see why you're struggling, this thing is way too light."

"Too light? I thought that was a good thing," Casey replied.

"In essence, but when you're training, you need to feel the weight of the gun, something about that makes it so much more real, it makes you truly appreciate what you're holding. This thing feels like a toy, and so you don't take it seriously."

Casey nodded, not totally understanding, but not wanting to look like an idiot. Garrus continued. "When you fire a gun, you're aiming to hurt someone, maybe kill them. You have to commit to every shot, you have to mean it. You need something real in your hands."

Casey thought she understood that. "Sorry, this is just the one they provide, I don't have one of my own."

Garrus smiled, "We'll make it work."

He stood behind Casey, though keeping a sizeable gap between their bodies, and helped her to line up her shot. She missed again, though only just. She sighed, "I'm not good at this."

"Because you're not relaxed," Garrus said. "Take a breath, and try again."

She did what she was told, and missed by miles this time.

"Ok, that was too relaxed."

Casey turned around, a smile playing on her lips, "You told me to relax!"

"Ok…umm…I'm not making this clear. You need to relax, if you're tense you're putting too much pressure on yourself and you're more likely to miss. But you need to understand the significance of what you're doing…so you can't relax too much."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "So relax, but don't relax."

Garrus seemed unaware of her sarcasm. "Exactly, now try again!"

Casey took a breath, and fired.

It hit!

Unfortunately, it wasn't her target. It was Mordin's. He was four spaces down. However Casey had managed to nail the target right between the eyes. "Excellent shot!" Garrus cried, patting her on the shoulder.

"Well…not exactly what I was aiming for…"

"That doesn't matter."

"I'm pretty sure if I'm trying to take out a guy in a crowded room, my aim matters," Casey laughed. Garrus joined in.

"Ok, let's try something else." He pressed his body against hers, helping her to line up the shot.

_Oh God. _

* * *

Shepard called the team briefing later on, and to her surprise, Casey, along with several other lower level crew members were invited. The rest of the main team were there, including an important looking Asari. She identified herself as Samara, and she was the one looking for a dangerous fugitive. According to Samara, the murderer (known as Morinth), was a certain type of Asari called an Ardat-Yakshi. She effectively brainwashed her lovers before killing them. Samara had found out that Morinth's new hunting grounds were the VIP section of afterlife, and so the crew were going to infiltrate it. Shepard continued:

"We need as many people as possible in the club, because we don't know what kind of person Morinth is looking for. We also want everyone armed, because if she realises what's happening, it's not going to go well. We brought everyone to the range today to see who can shoot, and those of you who are here have been chosen to join us on the mission."

Casey caught Kasumi's eye, had she volunteered her for this? Kasumi was smiling. _What was she thinking? I can't shoot! _

When the briefing was over, Casey cornered Kasumi on her way out. "Did you tell Shepard I could shoot?"

Kasumi smiled, "Casey, I'm a good liar, but I'm not that good. You were awful. Though you did get better towards the end I suppose…"

Casey was confused, "So you didn't volunteer me?" Kasumi shook her head. "Then who did?" Kasumi glanced over Casey's shoulder, and whispered, "I could make a guess." She smiled, before slipping out of the room. Casey turned, Garrus and Shepard were the only two left in the room. _Garrus? _Why would he volunteer her? He'd seen how dreadful she was. He looked to be deep in conversation with Shepard, so Casey headed back to her room to get ready, her head still spinning.

* * *

Casey slipped into another borrowed dress: this time belonging to Samantha. She hadn't been chosen to come, much to her relief, and had gladly offered up something for Casey to go undercover in. It was a black dress, quite long, with a large slit down the middle to her belly button, held together with a few strips of black material. It looked beautiful, but Casey wasn't exactly sure how much protection it would give in a fire fight.

There was a knock at her door.

"Come in," Casey called, assuming it was Kasumi, and adjusting the dress so that she could be certain there was no way anyone could see her nipple through the slit in the material. She called over her shoulder. "You have to tell me if I look like a tramp in this."

It was at the precise moment she remembered that Kasumi never knocked, that she looked up at the mirror and saw that it was actually Garrus standing behind her.

She turned around, her face burning. "Sorry, I thought you were Kasumi," she stuttered.

He was smiling. He looked good, it was so nice to see him out of his armour again, and dressed like he was going somewhere nice. _It looks like we're going on a date. _Casey shook the thoughts away, but Garrus didn't seem to notice her awkwardness. He actually appeared to be staring at her. _That's right, Turian women don't have breasts, I must look so…alien…_

"What's up?" She asked, trying to sound casual. She noticed he was holding a small box.

Garrus seemed to come back to life. "Oh…right…I…uh…well I knew you didn't have one…so I just…it's small, but it packs a punch…I'll leave it here." He put the box on the table and disappeared before Casey could even attempt to interpret what he was saying. She moved over to the table and opened the package. Inside was a small gun. She picked it up, it was heavier than it looked, but small enough to fit in her hand. She smiled. Could she pretend this was the Turian equivalent of giving someone a red rose? Or would she have to accept the fact that Garrus knew she needed a gun, and was simply doing a fellow squad mate a favour? In the box there was also something that looked like a garter, but it was actually a holster. She slid it up her leg, grateful for the second slit down the side of the dress, and slipped the gun inside. She looked in the mirror. No one would ever know she was armed. Now she had to hope she wouldn't have to use it.

* * *

She joined the rest of the crew, and they left the Normandy in small groups, heading for Afterlife. They couldn't all arrive at once, it would look too suspicious. She was in a group with Ken, Gabby, and Garrus. Gabby looked beautiful, and Ken scrubbed up pretty nicely too. The two of them were bickering about some maintenance issue for most of the journey, and walked just ahead of Casey and Garrus.

"You look…very nice," Garrus said as he walked beside her.

"Thank you," Casey replied. "So do you. And thank you for the gift, you shouldn't have."

"Do you like it?" Garrus asked.

"It's perfect," Casey replied, and she really meant it. Garrus smiled widely, before looking ahead. Gabby and Ken were still bickering. Casey took a deep breath before asking the question that had been playing on her mind. "Did you volunteer me for this mission?"

"Shepard saw your skills, it was his idea." He didn't meet her gaze.

Casey smiled, "If Shepard had seen me he probably would've thrown me off the ship! I was dreadful!"

"You weren't that bad."

"Garrus…"

"…Ok, you were pretty bad. But we see the potential."

"You won't be saying that when I mangle your face with a rogue bullet."

Garrus turned to face her, and she was reminded of the scarring he had on one side of his face already. He gave her a wicked smile, "Good, I'd love to get some symmetry back."

Casey laughed. Up ahead Gabby grabbed Ken's arm and slipped it into her own. "Make it look believable Kenneth!" She hissed.

Casey and Garrus' eyes met, and placed his arm around her waist. She moved her head closer to him, breathing in that intoxicating scent. She tried not to tremble.

"Don't worry," he whispered, as they entered the doors of Afterlife. "I'll keep you safe."

As Casey was enveloped by the pounding music, with Garrus' strong arm around her, her skin against his firm chest, she'd never felt safer in her life.


	10. Chapter 10

The music was pounding, and Casey scanned the room while she waited for Garrus to bring over their drinks. She was sitting in a little booth in the shadows, where she could see the whole club perfectly. The queue at the bar was long, and it gave her ample time to survey the club.

She'd never been here before, even when she worked at Afterlife. She'd always been in the main club, and truth be told, she knew very little about the VIP section. Now she was here, she could see it was just as big as Afterlife itself, and certainly seemed to have more going on. There was a large dance floor, where she could see Ken and Gabby dancing together. She smiled as Ken's hands wandered to Gabby's behind, and before being slapped away. There were several stages, where various women danced high above the customers. They were mostly Asari, those were the ones everyone wanted, though there were a few human women here and there.

There was a casino area near the back of the club, and Casey was sure that was Grunt's head she could see above the slot machines. She'd also caught sight of Miranda every now and again. However, it was packed in here, and Casey couldn't help but feel that no matter how many of the Normandy Crew was there, it would be pretty easy to miss Morinth.

"See anything?" Garrus asked, putting the drinks down and sliding into the seat beside her. Not too close though.

"Nothing yet, it's busy," Casey replied.

"Well not to worry. We're only here for back up, and to keep an eye open. It's Shepard and Samara who are looking for her."

Casey nodded, then eyed her drink suspiciously. "Is there alcohol in this?" She asked, holding up the glass of bright pink liquid.

"Only a little," Garrus replied.

"I'm off alcohol," Casey said, putting the glass down.

"Why?" Casey was sure she heard a note of laughter in his voice. She rolled her eyes.

"Because alcohol makes me act stupid, and do stupid things."

"I like drunk Casey," Garrus smirked. "She's a good dancer."

"Yeah, well it wasn't you who I practically assaulted and dragged into my room," Casey muttered, before realising the inappropriateness of what she'd said.

"Unlucky for me," Garrus replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Enough's enough, Kenneth!" Casey looked up, Gabby slid into the booth beside her, arms crossed across her chest.

"Just trying to make it look realistic," Kenneth replied, sitting on the other side of Garrus.

"You were all over me!"

"We're meant to look like a couple!"

"I never agreed to that cover story!"

"Well excuse me for trying to bring a sense of realism to the act!"

Garrus met Casey's gaze and grinned, clearly trying not to laugh. Casey giggled, but tried to hide it by coughing. As Gabby and Ken continued to argue, she took a sip of her drink. It was delicious, she felt her whole body relax.

"What do you think, Garrus? I'm right, aren't I?" Ken asked exasperatedly. Gabby's fierce gaze fell on Garrus, and he seemed to squirm in his seat.

"Uh…I….you know what, Shepard just messaged, said he needs me. I'll be right back."

Casey's eyes widened, _don't you leave me with these two! _She thought desperately.

Ken stood up so that Garrus could get past, but before he made his getaway, he held out his hand to Casey. "I'll need your help on this, Case."

Casey grabbed his hand gratefully, and let him pull her away.

* * *

"Wow, didn't think I'd get out of that one so easily," Garrus whispered before they were completely out of ear shot. His breath tickled against her ear.

"I'm guessing there was no message from Shepard, and you don't need my help?"

"Well, yes, and no."

Casey looked at him questioningly. He continued, "Yes, there was no message from Shepard, and no, I do need your help."

"….Ok, you've lost me."

Garrus grinned. "I do need your help, I can't dance alone." Casey turned around, realising he'd led her to the dance floor.

"I thought you didn't dance? Not unless you were drunk?"

"Well, I only know one step, but I thought we could give it another try." Without another word he pulled Casey into him, their bodies closer than they'd been the first time they'd danced like this. Casey placed her head against his chest, his heart was pounding. _Damn, I wish I knew how fast Turian hearts usually beat! _Was he nervous? Or was this normal?

Casey felt Garrus' head rest slightly on top of hers. Was he smelling her hair? Was that a sign of something? Maybe she was clutching at straws, she'd heard him say he wasn't interested in humans….and yet, something was going on. She knew for a fact Turians weren't usually this gentle, this…sweet…and the way his fingers gently stroked the back of her dress suggested something much more than a dance between squad mates. But was he just a good actor? Was he just perfecting this undercover rouse? Oh how she wished her inner monologue would just shut up so she could enjoy the dance.

Casey allowed herself to glance at the other dancers. There were a few familiar faces now. Gabby and Ken had returned, and seemed to have settled on a compromise: Ken kept his hands off Gabby's behind, and she didn't punch him in the face. They actually seemed to be laughing together. Casey could see Tali and James, who also seemed to be giggling about something. Casey hoped they weren't talking about her and Garrus, she already felt a million eyes on her already, though she knew that was just in her head.

"Do you think she buys it?" Garrus asked.

"Who? Buy what?"

"Morinth. If she was watching this club right now, do you think she'd know we were all armed and looking to kill her?"

Casey looked over at Gabby and Ken. "She'd definitely think they were no threat."

Garrus laughed as Ken slid his hands down again, and was met by an angry shove by Gabby. "Well, only to each other. What about them?" Garrus asked, pointing to James and Tali. "Who would she think they were?"

Casey thought for a moment, "Work colleagues. Out for a friendly drink."

"Where do they work?"

"Some kind of office job."

Garrus grinned, "Vega, behind a desk? I don't see it?"

"He's the janitor," Casey replied wickedly. Garrus laughed again.

"What about them?" Casey asked, nodding towards Mordin and Miranda, who stood next to each other at the bar.

"Blind date," Garrus replied without so much as a moment's pause.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. He's not so sure, but she's into it."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yeah. Look at the way she's looking at him. Literally undressing him with her eyes."

At that point Miranda happened to nod, and Casey had to bury her head in Garrus' chest to avoid collapsing with the giggles.

"Your turn," Garrus said. "Those two." He pointed at Grunt and Kasumi.

"Married," Casey replied.

"How long?"

"Five years."

"Oh that's nice, it's hard for working Krogan to find love."

"Mmm," Casey nodded. "Though honestly, I don't think it's going to last."

"Why not?"

"Sometimes it's just not meant to be."

"Krogan itch?" Garrus suggested with a wicked smile.

"You know about that? I only heard about it for the first time the other day!"

"Mordin told me, seems to think someone on the ship has it."

Casey made a mental note to remind Mordin that she did not, in fact, have Krogan itch.

"My turn," Garrus said.

Casey looked around, for the moment she couldn't see anyone else. "Uhh…..us?" She asked.

Garrus smiled, "Oh definitely on some kind of date."

Casey's heart pounded, but she tried to sound casual. "Really? Have we gone to dinner first?"

"Is that what humans do on dates?"

"Sure, dinner and dancing. Why? What do Turians do?"

"Usually you grab a woman by the waist and drag her back to your cave."

Casey must have looked shocked, because Garrus laughed. "I'm kidding, of course we go to dinner."

"I knew you were joking!" Casey insisted, though she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

Garrus smiled, "So yes, I would have taken you to dinner. Somewhere fancy, though not too fancy, wouldn't want to get your expectations too high."

"A girl should have low expectations on a date with you?"

"Oh yeah, real low. At least until she sees my dancing."

"Is this our first date?"

"I'd say third or fourth."

"Then you're playing it pretty safe," Casey replied.

"How so?" Garrus asked.

Casey, surprised at her own daring, shifted Garrus' hands, which were on her back, lower down. She waited, if he pulled them away then she'd know she'd read it completely wrong. But he didn't, he just smiled. "This is more believable?" He asked.

"Definitely," Casey replied, her heart hammering in her chest.

Garrus stroked the material of her dress softly.

At that moment his Omni-tool lit up. He glanced at it, before stepping away. "I'm sorry, that really was a message from Shepard. Samara thinks she's seen Morinth, he wants back up."

"I'll come too."

"No. Stay here, we're not certain it's her."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about me accidentally shooting you aren't you?"

Garrus gave her a wicked smile, "If you mangle my face much more than it already is, you might not want to come back to my cave." Then he left, once again, before she could fully process what he'd just said.

* * *

Casey made her way to the bar. She watched as Grunt took two bottles of ryncol from the server. He nodded at her, but didn't approach. Casey turned around, thinking about heading back to the booth when she collided with an Asari waitress. A tray full of drinks spilled over Casey's borrowed dress.

"Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry!" The Asari cried, dabbing at Casey's dress with a rag from behind the bar.

"It's fine," Casey reassured her, though already panicking about what she's say to Samantha.

"Here, come with me," the Asari replied. "If we get some water on it, it might not stain so bad." She took Casey by the arm and pulled her towards the bathrooms.

The bathroom was empty, and the Asari ran the cloth under the water, before dabbing at Casey's dress.

"Some of it's coming off," she mumbled.

"Don't worry," Casey replied. "It's my friend's dress, I'll just have to buy her a new one."

The Asari's eyes widened. "It's borrowed?! Oh no!"

She continued to dab at the material, and it was only then that Casey started to feel slightly dizzy. She wondered if it was the Asari's perfume, which was really strong. Almost intoxicating. Casey felt a little drunk, though she hadn't had any alcohol since they were at the booth.

The Asari's dabbing had slowed down a lot. And Casey was vaguely aware that she had moved away from the dress and onto Casey's skin. "It's here too," she muttered, stroking Casey's skin sensually.

Casey wobbled slightly. Something was wrong, she felt incredibly drunk. When was the last time she'd had alcohol? The booth? When she was with….someone. Who had she come here with?

Now the Asari's fingers were on her skin, gently caressing her stomach, her neck, the sides of her breasts that showed through the slit in the material of her dress. "What's your name?" The Asari breathed. Her voice was different now.

"Casey," Casey replied dreamily.

"Hello Casey, I'm Morinth."

"Morinth?" Why was that name familiar? Did she know her? Was she here to meet her? The smell of the perfume seemed to get even more intense. "That's a pretty name," Casey slurred.

"Would you like to come back to my apartment with me, Casey?" Morinth asked.

Casey nodded. She wanted to go. She wanted to stay with Morinth. She wanted to stay feeling this good.

* * *

Casey wasn't sure how she got to the apartment, but she found herself sitting on a couch alone. The drunken feeling was beginning to wear off. She stumbled to her feet. "Morinth?" She called. _Morinth? Morinth! _That was who they'd come to find!

A door to her left opened, and Morinth came in. All of a sudden, the air became heavy again, thick with the sickly sweet smell of Morinth's perfume. "You're a strong one," she muttered, pushing Casey back onto the couch. "I was only out for a second."

Casey's head began to droop, and she was vaguely aware of Morinth climbing on top of her. She ran her hand down the exposed skin of Casey's stomach.

_Why am I here?_

"I'm going to do things to you Casey."

_Who's Casey?_

Some of them you'll like." She slipped her hand inside Casey's dress, resting it on her breast.

_I'm Casey. _

"Some of them you won't like."

_Why am I here?_

She ran her fingers across Casey's nipple, squeezing it gently, then firmly. She leaned in closer, and Casey felt something hard pressing against her leg.

_I came with people. We were looking for Morinth. Why? Who did I come with?_

"But I promise: before you die, you'll feel pleasure you've never even dreamed of."

_Morinth is a killer. We came to find her. _

Morinth reached down and began to slide Casey's dress up. Her eyes never left Casey's. They were hot, burning.

_Shepard, I came with Shepard! And Mordin, and Kasumi!_

She felt the hardness between Morinth's legs pressing against her. It throbbed impatiently.

_Garrus. I was here with Garrus! We came to kill Morinth._

With all the strength she had, Casey kicked out against Morinth and threw her off her body.

"You bitch!" Morinth hissed, lunging at her again. She pinned Casey against the wall, and the intoxicating smell filled Casey's lungs. But she wouldn't let it take her again. She kneed Morinth in the stomach, and quickly reached for the gun strapped to her own leg. She held it up. "Freeze!" She cried, but Morinth laughed.

"Oh please. Do you really think you'll do any damage with that? I know who you are, who you're with. I've been watching Shepard since you docked, and I saw your piss poor attempts at shooting yesterday. That's why I picked you, Casey! It'll be such a shame when Shepard finds your drained little corpse, and he'll know that I'm not one to be fucked with. Now put down the gun." She moved towards Casey.

"Don't move!" Casey stuttered.

"And your Turian boyfriend, I'm sure he'll be really upset. Though, do you really even see that going anywhere?" She gave a little laugh.

"Fuck you!"

Morinth stopped. "Oh, hit a nerve did I? I was only being half serious, there's no way a Turian would ever be interested in a human like you. They like strong women, Casey. Not weak little nobodies who can't even tell if a gun has the safety off."

Casey glanced at the gun, and Morinth took the chance to lunge at her. They wrestled on the floor, and the gun slid across the room. Casey punched Morinth in the jaw, Morinth scratched her in the face. Morinth was on top of her. Her mouth was bloody, but she grinned. "Don't worry, after I kill you, I'll kill your little boyfriend too." She leaned in closer, and Casey could smell the blood on her breath. "But I'll fuck him first." Casey felt the hate boil up inside her, and grabbed Morinth by the back of the head, and smacked her into the wall. While Morinth tried to get up, Casey crawled to the gun.

Just as she grabbed it, she felt a weight on top of her. Morith turned her around, still straddling her waist. "You put up a good fight," she panted. "But now it's over." Her eyes went black.

Casey couldn't move. She couldn't reach the gun. _This is it._ She closed her eyes.

But nothing happened. Morinth appeared frozen. Then, Casey felt her fall backwards off her body. Casey opened her eyes and scrambled free. Morinth had a bullet hole in her head. Casey looked at the door. Garrus put down his sniper rifle and ran over.

"Casey, are you alright?"

She nodded, unable to take her eyes off Morinth. She heard Shepard enter, and many more footsteps afterwards. "Phew, what is that smell?" Grunt asked.

"Pheromones." Casey looked over, Samara was approaching. "Morinth used them to keep her prey under control. They're quite harmless now she's dead."

Mordin was at Casey's side now, scanning her with his Omni-tool. "Put up a fight did you? Managed to resist? Very rare."

"You must be very strong minded," Samara added.

Casey didn't feel strong, she felt woozy. She noticed Garrus leaning in, and then she was up high. He'd lifted her into his arms. "I'll take her back to the ship," he said to Shepard. "Doctor Chakwas should take a look at her."

Shepard nodded, but took Casey's hand for a moment. "Good job."

Casey wasn't exactly sure what she'd done, other than almost get herself killed, but she nodded anyway.

She let Garrus carry her out of the room. She could feel his heart racing. She wished she knew if that meant something.


	11. Chapter 11

**Once again, thank you all so much for the reviews and messages: it really makes my day when I find out someone's enjoying the story. You're all amazing, hope you enjoy the next chapter :)**

* * *

When Casey woke up, she was alone in her room. It took her a moment to remember how she got there, what had happened on the last mission. Lucky for her, her aching body reminded her pretty quickly. Slowly and carefully she got to her feet, and made the way across the room to her mirror. It wasn't too bad, but she wouldn't be winning any beauty pageants any time soon. She had a split lip, and a large bruise under her eye. Three long red scratches ran down her cheek. She shuddered as she remembered Morinth's nails scraping into her skin.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Casey turned around, Kasumi was standing in the doorway holding a glass of water.

"How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of hours, not long enough." Kasumi put the water down and ushered her back into bed. "I had to fight Doctor Chakwas to let me bring you back to your room. She wanted to keep you in the med bay. Don't make me drag you back there!"

Casey let Kasumi tuck her in. "I'm proud of you, you know?" Kasumi muttered.

"Why?" Casey yawned.

"For kicking Morinth's ass!"

Casey shook her head. "I didn't do anything, it was Garrus who shot her."

"Eventually, but you were holding your own until then. And you beat her pheromones! Doc was really surprised at that." Kasumi grinned. "But let's go back to the Garrus thing…you guys seemed pretty close in the club."

Casey smiled, but then sighed. "That was just our cover."

Kasumi groaned, "Casey, when are you going to get it through your thick skull that he might actually be into you?"

"I don't want to get my hopes up, not again."

Kasumi nodded, "I understand. But if you don't make a move soon, you might lose your shot."

Casey sunk under the covers stubbornly, and Kasumi laughed. "He didn't leave your side when we bought you in. Chakwas virtually threw him out because you needed rest."

Casey felt a smile play on her lips. At that moment the door to her room opened, and she couldn't help but sit up expectantly. It wasn't Garrus though, it was Grunt. She didn't really mind, she was happy to see any of her friends. Grunt was carrying a box, which he set down on the table. He then looked expectantly at Kasumi, who eventually got the hint. "I'll talk to you later Case, call me if you need me." She made for the door, pulling a face behind Grunt's back.

Grunt sat on the end of Casey's bed, which pretty much took up all of the space for her feet. She tucked them up quickly. He didn't say anything for a moment. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. How are you?"

"Nothing permanent," Casey smiled, though it hurt a little to do so. Grunt saw her wince, and he balled his fists. "I wish I'd have been there, I would've killed that Asari for hurting you, and I wouldn't have made it quick."

Casey had seen Grunt angry before: hell that was how he was most of the time. But now, clearly trying to control the rage that was boiling below the surface, she'd never seen this. She reached out, put a hand on his. "I'm fine, Grunt."

"I saw you when Garrus left, I should've come over, I just didn't want to break cover."

"I know," Casey replied sincerely. "Honestly, she barely touched me."

Grunt seemed to be thinking for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "I don't know what I would've done if she'd hurt you. You're one of the few people here who treats me like I'm more than just a killing machine."

Casey didn't know what to say, but then she did. "We're friends."

Grunt looked up and smiled. "We're more than friends. You're in my clan. I'll protect you like you were my own blood."

Krogan didn't really hug, so he gave her one of his traditional 'gentle' pats on the shoulder. He got up to leave, but then seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah, I brought you a gift."

Casey eyed the box nervously, thinking back to Shepard's plant, and the way it'd torn through the Normandy. "Oh….you shouldn't have…"

"I hear humans like these things. I don't really get it, it's not big enough to eat, so what's the point?…" Grunt opened the box and lifted out a small bowl, containing a single goldfish. Casey let out a silent sigh of relief, then smiled broadly. "That's so sweet! Thank you Grunt." Then she had an idea. "Why don't you name him for me?"

Grunt looked at the fish, "I don't know many names…"

"Have you ever had a pet?"

Grunt grinned, "I don't think he'd call himself a pet, but I kind of did, once."

"What was his name?"

"Okeer."

Casey was sure she'd heard that name before, but couldn't think where. "Ok then, Okeer the Goldfish." Grunt gave a little laugh, and stomped out of the room. Casey smiled as the fish circled the bowl, well that was something she hadn't expected.

* * *

"What are you doing up?"

_Busted. _

Casey turned around, and found Kasumi standing behind her. She'd been going mad trapped in her room when there were so many sounds outside, so she'd just slipped out for a moment. She hadn't realised Sergeant Goto took her new security job so seriously. "I'm going crazy in there!" Casey protested. "And I keep hearing people banging about, what's going on out here?"

Kasumi smiled, "The noise is thanks to Grunt. Ok, I was going to wake you in an hour or two anyway." She led her towards the mess hall. "I happened to find out from Miss Perfect", Casey knew she meant Miranda, "that it's Shep's birthday today. So we've decided to throw him a little surprise party. Miranda's keeping him busy on Omega for a few hours, something about Vorcha in the sewers, surprised he agreed to it really, and we're getting the ship ready." They were in the mess now, and Casey could see the frenzied action of those trying to decorate a room in preparation for a big party.

James was in the kitchen, apparently baking a cake, though Mordin was making it difficult. He seemed to be attempting to add extra ingredients while James wasn't looking, which was making James grow more and more agitated. Tali was laying out snacks and drinks. Other crew members ran back and forth with boxes and balloons. Casey watched as Grunt hung a line of bunting across the ceiling. "Wow, that's cool," she said, and Grunt smiled. As she took a closer look, however, Casey realised there were lots pictures on the little flags. Each one seemed to represent a Krogan standing on the dead body of an alien. "Oh…those are….detailed…" She added.

Grunt pointed. "I blacked out the dead human ones, you know, out of respect."

"That's nice." Casey tried not to laugh, and turned her attention to something else, noticing for the first time a number of little disks laid out on the floor, scattered around randomly. "What are those?" She asked Kasumi.

Kasumi grinned, "An amazing little programme I just happened to come across."

"By 'come across', do you mean steal?"

"Don't pick apart every little word," Kasumi laughed, before pressing a button on her Omni-tool. Casey gasped: out of every pad, a holographic plant suddenly sprung up. It immediately looked as though they were standing in a greenhouse: although the plants looked anything but normal: all bright neon colours. "Wow," Casey breathed.

"Beautiful, huh?"

Casey nodded.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Casey rolled her eyes, she was sick of people asking, but then she realised who the voice belonged to. Kasumi slipped away, leaving Casey facing Garrus.

"I needed to get out of my room," Casey finally replied.

Garrus looked suspicious, "Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around? Maybe Doctor Chakwas should take another look at you, just to be sure-"

"Garrus I'm fine! Morinth was kind enough to reserve most of the damage for my facial area. I may not look pretty, but I'm not going to drop down dead."

Garrus smiled, "I think you look-"

"He's here!" Grunt bellowed. "Everyone shut up and get down!"

* * *

The party had been in full swing for several hours. Casey had slipped away and got changed into something a little bit fancier, a light white dress. It was nowhere near as formal as the black one she'd borrowed, but it meant she could feel dressed up, without struggling to breathe. She moved around the party, never really staying anywhere for too long.

She noticed Shepard, Garrus, Ken, James, Jacob, and Miranda all sat around a table. She took the last seat, between Garrus and Jacob. "What's going on?" She asked.

"We're about to play Skyllian five," Jacob replied, nodding to Ken who was dealing. "You want in?"

Casey shook her head, "I'm dreadful at that game. I always lose, but I'll watch?"

"I'll play." Casey turned, Grunt was standing behind her. He seemed to be surveying the table, noticing that there were no seats left. "You can have mine-" Casey began, standing up.

Grunt grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her out of his way and straight on to Garrus' lap. "Thanks Case," he replied.

"Good idea," Kasumi added, now joining them, and sitting on Jacob's lap. Gabby, who'd been standing behind Ken, did the same. "But keep your hands where I can see them," Gabby hissed, grabbing the cards.

Casey looked at Garrus, "sorry," she muttered.

"It's ok," Garrus replied, "you can help me." He gestured to the cards he was holding.

"You want me to help? I'm not good…"

"Oh that's fine, I'll just do the opposite of everything you suggest," Garrus winked.

He was sitting rather stiffly, and Casey felt embarrassed. She doubted this was the kind of thing that went on at Turian parties. But everyone was having a good time, and with Gabby and Kasumi doing the same thing, it looked innocent enough. She had another drink, feeling a little more relaxed. Garrus began to talk to her about the game, but she wasn't completely paying attention. Being this close to him, it was like being under a spell. Not like with Morinth: next to Morinth she'd felt sleepy, vacant, empty. Next to Garrus, she felt more alive than ever, and her heart was racing. Empty? Yeah she felt empty, but only because she so desperately wanted him to fill her up. To take her, bend her over the table and do every disgustingly kinky thing he could dream of.

What was she thinking? She had another drink, hoping it would slow her thoughts a little.

* * *

"We're out of booze!"

James had left the table to get another bottle from the kitchen. When he made his startling discovery, it was as though the crew had been told there was a Collector ship firing on them. People jumped up, crying out in frustration and anger. Casey looked at Garrus, who just laughed.

"Don't panic!" Shepard slurred. "I'm trained for this!"

"What should we do?" Miranda giggled.

"We shall proc….procur…pro….let's go get some more!" Shepard yelled, and the others cheered. "Vega, Grunt, you've got big arms, you come with me to Afterlife to get some more booze."

"Commander, what shall we do?" Miranda asked, attempting to salute, but failing and giggling again. Casey had never seen her this drunk, but she kind of liked it.

"More food!" Jacob cried before Shepard could reply. "And more booze!"

"Yes!" Shepard called, pointing at Jacob. "What that good man said! We meet back here at 23 hundred hours! Go!"

The crew started to leave, and Casey looked back at Garrus, "It's not even eleven o'clock, and everyone's so drunk!"

"Aren't you?" Garrus asked.

Casey got to her feet, "Not really." She stumbled slightly, "Ok…just a little."

Garrus laughed, stumbling slightly himself. "Come on." He took her by the hand and led her towards the elevator. They rode it to the Command Deck, trying not to laugh at Ken Donnelly, who had passed out in the corner, and had apparently been riding the elevator for the last few hours.

The rest of the crew who were heading out had already disappeared by the time Garrus and Casey stepped out of the Normandy. "Where to?" Garrus asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You used to live here."

"And I left," Casey smiled, "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing much here."

"Ok then, follow me," Garrus replied, taking her hand again and leading her off.

* * *

Casey had never felt safer walking the streets of Omega than she did at that moment. No one bumped into her, no one tried to sell her anything (or rob her, as was often the alternative). Everyone kept their distance from the human who was holding hands with the strong Turian.

"Where are we going?" Casey asked.

"You'll see," Garrus replied, with a mysterious wink.

"You know Omega?"

"A little, it's not far, come on." They quickened their pace, and arrived at a large bridge in the worst end of town. They crossed it in amicable silence, and were soon standing in front of small building.

"What's this?" Casey asked.

"Archangel's base." Garrus replied.

"Who's Archangel?"

Garrus feigned shock. "You don't know who Archangel is?"

Casey shook her head. Garrus paused, "Well I guess unless you dealt with the gangs you wouldn't know. Archangel was a vigilante. He had a crew of loyal friends, and together they tried to clean up the scum in Omega."

"They didn't do a very good job," Casey replied.

Garrus smiled, "Well, he died."

"Oh," Casey immediately felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry Garrus, he was your friend?"

"Sort of," Garrus replied, taking a key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. "He was me."

Garrus gave her a tour of the base, explaining how he'd tried to make Omega a better place, after Shepard had died. But Omega doesn't like change, and ultimately, he'd failed. His team were killed, and it looked like he was going to be next when Shepard found him again.

"I still can't get over that…Shepard coming back to life?" Casey said.

"Yeah, Shepard's stubborn like that. Being dead only pissed him off."

Casey laughed, as Garrus led her to the last room. It looked like a bedroom, but Casey could only just make out a bed in the corner, under piles and piles of paperwork. She went over and looked: maps, pictures of gang leaders, and what looked like surveillance info. The walls were plastered with all these things too. "My room," Garrus said.

"Bet you saw a lot of action in here," Casey laughed, gesturing to the almost inaccessible bed. Garrus misunderstood, "Oh yeah, this is where I made my last stand. Me, against a battalion of angry gang leaders."

"That's not what I meant," Casey said with a smile.

Garrus looked confused, then his mandibles twitched, "Oh, you mean women?"

Casey nodded, laughing.

"No, none of that in here. Not yet anyway." He stared into Casey's eyes for a moment, then broke her gaze, looking out of the window. Casey's heart hammered, and she joined him.

"Great view," she commented.

"Yeah, it's perfect for taking out mercs: see how the bridge all funnels them into scope?"

Casey nodded, internally yelling at Garrus to stop talking about tactics. _I've got to go for it, otherwise I'll never know. _She took a breath, and turned with her back to the view. "It's kind of romantic, it's a shame you never brought anyone up here."

Garrus was silent, his eyes focused on hers. They stayed like that for a few moments. Then…nothing. He made no attempt to kiss her, to touch her, anything. Casey felt angry. She'd had too much to drink, and she was at risk of saying all the things that were building inside her.

_Keep cool…._

"Well, maybe if I find a woman who likes guys with scars, I'll bring her up here."

_Cool, Casey, relax._

"You don't happen to know anyone do you?"

"Would you please stop playing with me Garrus?!" Casey hadn't meant to say that. She certainly hadn't meant to yell it, but it was out there now, and she felt a flood of words following it out. "Stop giving me mixed messages! I mean, one minute you're all over me, the next you're asking me to set you up?! I mean, I know you're not attracted to humans, the idea is laughable to you, but stop acting like you like me when you don't because it's really starting to drive me mad!"

She was breathing heavily. What had she just said? Did it even make sense? Either way she'd ruined everything. She could never go back to the Normandy now.

Garrus was silent, his mandibles twitched. "Why do you think I'm not attracted to humans?"

"I heard you talking to James. You said you didn't like Humans and then you laughed." Casey was surprised at how angry she sounded.

Garrus paused for a moment, clearly trying to remember. "Wait, that was the night you slept with James wasn't it?"

Casey went red, "Yes, yes fine, I do stupid things when drunk. Clearly."

"Did you sleep with him because of what I said?"

"No!" Even Casey knew that didn't sound believable.

Garrus' voice was soft, like he was talking to a child. "Casey, I said we could never be together because you were human…I meant that you would surely never be interested in a Turian. And I laughed because James said he wouldn't turn you down, and I was trying to hide the fact that I was so damn jealous that you were both the same species, I wanted to smash him into the table."

"Oh…" Casey didn't know what to say. "So…you like me?"

"Well I don't know, now you're all angry and crazy…"

She couldn't tell if he was joking, but her face was burning and she couldn't take any more embarrassment. "I should go," she muttered, moving towards the door.

He grabbed her arm, pulled her closer to him. "No," he growled, and his mouth was on hers.


	12. Chapter 12

Garrus lifted her up, and Casey wrapped her legs around his slender waist. He kissed her with more passion and lust than she'd ever experienced before. This was as good as she'd imagined. No. Better. Her back was against the wall, and she allowed his tongue to explore her mouth. His hands, first on her back, had now moved to her behind, where he grasped her against him fiercely. She felt a hardness press against her, and felt light-headed.

Garrus carried Casey to the bed, and lay her down on top of all the paperwork. He leaned over her, just staring into her eyes for a moment, then he spoke. "I don't want to rush you...I mean...if you want to stop here..."

Casey smiled, she wasn't embarrassed anymore. Not now. "Garrus, I've wanted this for a long time. Shut up, and take your clothes off."

He grinned, and leaned in to kiss her again. Casey took the opportunity to begin unbuttoning his shirt, quickly pulling it off him. She stared. This was the first time she'd seen a Turian without his shirt on (unless you counted the Fornax magazine). Garrus' skin was firm, and he was much more muscular than she'd realised. She ran her finger over his chest, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't quite as rough as it looked.

He was already unzipping her dress, and removed it quickly. He looked down at her body. _I must look so Alien, _Casey couldn't help but think. But then she saw the look in his eyes and knew Garrus wasn't shocked or disgusted. There was no mistaking this look: he was turned on.

His mouth was on hers, and the urgency was back. He tugged at her bra, and his deft fingers unhooked it from her body within seconds. The cool air felt good against her hot skin, and her nipples hardened. Garrus began to kiss her neck, and continued to travel down towards her breasts. His kisses were hungry: he was tasting her. He reached up with one hand and began stroking one of her breasts, gently at first, as though frightened it would break. Casey let out a little moan as his fingers stroked her skin, and this seemed to spur him on. Now he rubbed her nipple, squeezing it and releasing it, and clearly revelling in the noises Casey made when he did this. His mouth was on her other breast now, and he delicately ran his tongue across her swollen nipple. She was going crazy! She needed him now.

When he came up to kiss her mouth again, she reached down between his legs. He was still dressed from the waist down, but she could feel him. He was big. A shiver of excitement ran through her, and she stroked the length of him through his clothes. He kissed her more vigorously, and allowed her hand to roam to his zipper. She undid it, and released him. She couldn't see what he looked like yet, but reached out to touch him.

Wow! He was hard as a rock, though the skin itself was softer than she'd imagined: just a little rougher than a human man. She felt the ridges that ran along the shaft with a little gasp of delight. He'd stopped kissing her now, he was enjoying her fingers too much. This gave her the chance to take a peek at what she was dealing with. It was beautiful, the same tone as his skin, long, and thick. He looked into her eyes, his pupils were almost completely dilated.

His fingers were on her now, and he ripped her panties off like they were made of tissue paper. He was watching her, and Casey wondered whether he'd ever seen a human woman naked before. He was certainly staring, but not with confusion it would seem, as within moments one of his beautifully long fingers had slid inside her. She was so wet, and he stroked the walls of her pussy gently, in a rhythm that made her virtually shake with pleasure. Now he added another finger, and Casey was vaguely aware that while making sure she was enjoying it, he may have been trying to see how wide she was. Was he worried about fitting? She wasn't. She couldn't wait.

Her hand, still on his throbbing cock, began to gently move backwards and forwards. And she heard him let out a quiet groan of pleasure. His movements inside her became more forceful. She met his pace, and for a moment there were no sounds except their own gasping breaths. Then Garrus spoke, though this seemed difficult while Casey worked her magic.

"Now. I need to have you now."

Casey almost climaxed right then, to hear Garrus say those words, but she simply nodded, a wicked grin playing on her lips. She watched as Garrus fully removed his clothes, and positioned himself at her entrance.

She'd never felt so much anticipation in her life. She wanted him inside her, more than anything in the world. Slowly, too slowly, he began to ease himself in, and she gasped out as the wonderful ridges stroked her insides. He was on top of her, and as his hips got closer to her legs, she realised he was almost fully inside her. She'd never felt more filled up in her life. _I can never go back to human men now, _she thought with a smile.

Garrus, clearly pleased that he'd managed to get in without causing her any pain, began to slowly pull himself out, then push in again. It was wonderful, and Casey loved it, but she wanted more. She knew he was holding back. Garrus' movements were controlled, to the point of being military. She reached up and stroked his fringe. He froze. "Don't do that," he breathed, but then his body said something else, as he began to move faster in and out. _So it does work! _Casey thought excitedly, continuing the long strokes.

Garrus was less controlled now, but within seconds he grabbed her hands. "Stop," he panted.

"Why?" Casey asked playfully.

"It feels too good, and I don't want to hurt you."

Casey put her hands on his face, stroking his skin gently. "You won't. Stop holding back, I want you to do everything you've ever wanted to do to me."

That seemed to spark off something, and a wicked grin spread across Garrus' face. Without another word he pulled out of her. He took Casey's hands and sat her up, then turned her over so she was on all fours. She felt him position himself behind her, and slid, much more quickly, back inside. Then he began to fuck her. There was no other way to describe it, this wasn't sex anymore, it was fucking. He held on to her waist tightly, and controlled the movements completely. Casey gasped and groaned in pleasure, and she could hear similar noises coming from Garrus.

This was exactly what she'd wanted. Garrus Vakarian was fucking her, harder and rougher than she'd ever been fucked before. He was in control: she was entirely at his mercy. As these thoughts circled in her mind, she felt a pressure inside her beginning to build.

_Garrus Vakarian is inside me right now. _

He held onto her hips now, forcing her to move as he wanted.

_Garrus wanted me, he wants me. All this time._

He leaned forwards, his body resting on top of hers, and gently bit her neck. She felt his tongue against her skin, heard his breath against her ear, and it was all too much. She climaxed harder and longer than she ever had before, so much so that she could barely keep herself on her knees. Garrus slowed, and pulled out, gently turning her onto her back. "You ok?" He breathed, leaning over her, but not inside her yet.

Casey nodded, she could barely talk. Garrus smiled, and leaned in to kiss her. She felt him pressing against her, and used her hand to guide him back inside.

Garrus was making love now, this was slow, gentle, but wonderful. He never took his eyes off her.

* * *

When Casey woke up, Garrus was watching her. She forgot where she was for a moment, but as she glanced around at the walls with the maps stuck on, and noticed the piles of papers all over the bed on which she lay, it all came rushing back.

"Hey," Garrus said.

"Hi," she replied.

"Sorry, it must be a little creepy to wake up to someone staring at you..."

Casey smiled, "Not when it's you."

Garrus smiled too. "We should go soon. We don't want the Normandy to leave without us."

Casey nodded. Garrus continued, "I've been watching you sleep..."

"Ok, that's slightly more creepy."

Garrus laughed, "Sorry. You're just... really beautiful."

Casey felt herself blushing, and pulled the blanket over her head. Garrus followed suit, and lay next to her under the sheet. "Not big on complements?" He asked.

"I never know how to take them, or what to say, so I just feel embarrassed," Casey admitted.

Garrus smiled, "Then this will really throw you: I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since you joined us. Every time I see you I get knots in my stomach, and the most intriguing thing about you is that you have no idea just how perfect you really are."

Casey really didn't know what to say to that. But her heart was racing again, Garrus had liked her for that long? Did that mean he really wanted to start some kind of relationship? She'd hoped this wouldn't be a one off, but didn't want to assume anything when they were on such a dangerous mission.

"You like me?" Casey asked, then kicked herself for sounding like such a desperate teenager. She waited for Garrus to laugh, or run. He did neither though. He just looked into her eyes, and said "More than you know."

Casey moved closer and kissed him again, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his body. Casey felt the familiar tightening between her legs, but pulled away just slightly. Garrus ignored this move, and began to run a trail of kisses down her neck. "I thought you said we needed to go?" Casey asked with a little giggle.

"Let them leave, I'd rather stay here with you," he mumbled, continuing his journey down her body. She felt him slow as he descended her belly button, and it took all the self control she had left to pull him back up. "Come on," she said, giving him a final kiss. He sighed playfully, but didn't argue.

They walked back to the ship in comfortable silence, Garrus' arm protectively around her waist. Casey, however, felt more vulnerable than she had on the walk down. "I can't believe you ripped my panties," she muttered, uncomfortably aware of the breeze travelling up her dress. Garrus was grinning, "I'll buy you some more. It was a heat of the moment thing. You know how Krogan have blood rage? Turian's kind of have...sex rage. We can't control it."

Casey raised an eyebrow, but wasn't really mad. "Don't blame this on being a Turian!"

Garrus stopped, and pulled her in, his face only millimetres from her own. "One of the downsides to having a Turian boyfriend." He gave her a playful nip on the neck, and then continued to lead them back to the ship. Casey forgot all about her lack of underwear then.

_I have a Turian boyfriend?_

_I have a Turian boyfriend!_

* * *

The Normandy hadn't left yet, it was actually only six AM. Nevertheless, even if the ship had wanted to leave, it would've been impossible, what with Jacob's head jamming the airlock doors open. He was passed out on the floor, a large bottle of green liquid in his hands.

"Looks like we missed a hell of a party," Casey muttered, as they opened the doors properly to enter. Garrus pulled Jacob out of the way before they could close on his head again, but then whispered, "I think we had a better one."

Casey blushed, and followed Garrus onto the ship. "Not too bad up here," Garrus noted, and Casey agreed. The command deck was pretty tidy, the only oddity being Joker fast asleep at the controls. Garrus and Casey took the lift to the crew quarters, "Maybe it died down after we left?" Casey guessed.

The doors opened. "Or not..." The mess hall looked as though there'd been some kind of explosion: food, bottles, and balloons littered the floor. Kasumi's holographic plants had obviously been hacked, as they were now half naked, holographic, dancing Krogan, who flickered on and off at random. Grunt was passed out at the table, along with Shepard and James. Shepard and James had had their faces vandalised by a marker pen, though Grunt's remained clear. _No one had that much of a death wish!_ Casey thought with a smile.

Several crew members were asleep on the floor, including Tali, who was curled up under the table next to a male Quarian that neither Casey or Garrus had ever seen before.

They passed the door to Miranda's office, which was open, and Casey peered inside. Miranda was passed out on her bed, wearing what appeared to be some kind of cheerleading outfit. On the floor was Ken Donnelly, unfortunately, wearing a similar outfit. Garrus looked at Casey questioningly, "Is that a human thing?" He whispered.

"I don't know what that is," she giggled.

In the kitchen they found Mordin and Kasumi spooning on the floor. Both of them were covered in what looked like James' uncooked cake. Kasumi's cloaking device kept turning on and off, which meant Casey almost trod on her. "Wow," Casey said, surveying the whole room from the kitchen. "This is going to take a long time to clean up."

"Morning." Casey turned around, Shepard was standing at the counter, reaching for the kettle.

"Let me," Casey said, taking the kettle and filling it from the tap, careful not to tread on Mordin or Kasumi.

"Rough night?" Garrus asked with a smile.

"What? Nah, not really," Shepard replied.

"Uhuh." Garrus looked around the room pointedly.

Shepard turned and surveyed the mess hall. "Well, it might of gotten a little crazy, but...you know...nothing too bad."

Casey handed Shepard his coffee, trying ridiculously hard not to laugh at the sheer number of drawings and writing that littered his face. "You ok Casey?" He asked, taking a sip. "You look a little flustered there."

"Oh...no I'm fine."

Shepard looked at Garrus, who managed to quickly change his grin into a sombre, serious expression. "It's all good here Shepard."

Shepard nodded. Casey noticed Grunt waking up. He looked around without a trace of surprise, and walked over to the others. "Morning," he yawned.

"Good night?" Casey asked.

Grunt laughed. "Oh yeah, seems the Commander here can't handle his beer."

Shepard held up a hand, "What? I drunk you under the table."

"No Shepard, you _fell _under the table. That's not the same thing. But hey, you weren't completely to blame, the crew were spiking your drinks all night."

"They what?"

"Oh yeah, every time your back was turned they added more alcohol. I'm surprised you can even stand up."

Shepard shook his head. "My crew wouldn't do that. They're a loyal team who respect their superior officer."

Grunt nodded. "Uhuh...Shep that'd be a lot more believable if you didn't have the words "Commander Dickhead" written across your forehead."

"What?" Shepard looked into the reflective metal of his cup. "That sneaky little Quarian...You know when I see her I'll-"

He paused, clapping a hand to his mouth, then ran for the bathrooms.

"You guys sure know how to party," Casey laughed.

* * *

Most of the crew were still asleep, and so Garrus walked Casey to her room. "You should get some sleep," he said. She nodded. Garrus leaned in closer, "I mean it, I'm planning to wear you out again later."

Casey grinned, but then something crossed her mind. "I was thinking, we shouldn't tell anyone. About us I mean."

Garrus nodded, "I thought that too, but I didn't want it to come out wrong, like I was embarrassed or anything."

Casey nodded, "The mission is too important for people to be thinking and talking about us, plus I don't want to be the cause of gossip, not till we know what this is anyway."

Garrus leaned closer again, "What this is, is a Turian who is crazy about you. But I agree, we'll keep it a secret for now. But I promise, I'm not going anywhere."


	13. Chapter 13

Casey didn't sleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Instead she walked laps around her room, trying to take in everything that had happened over the last few hours. She still couldn't get over Garrus admitting he'd liked her all along: she hadn't seen that coming at all! And he was already calling himself her boyfriend? She knew that would scare some women off, but it made her practically giddy. She remembered the feeling of his hands on her, and her skin began to tingle.

She decided to take a shower (it had finally been fixed), so that even if she wasn't well rested, she'd at least be clean for round two, which Garrus had already promised.

When Casey came out, towel drying her hair, she found she was not alone in her room. She was almost relieved it wasn't Garrus, he'd worn her out and she'd need a couple of hours at least to recover! No, it was Kasumi who was lying on her bed, her hood pulled even lower over her eyes. She was making little groaning noises.

"Rough night?" Casey asked, not making any effort to keep her voice quiet.

"Shhhhhh!" Kasumi hissed, pulling her hood lower again. "If you like me at all you'll keep your voice down."

Casey smiled, but continued much more quietly. "What happened? You seemed very cosy in the kitchen."

"I have no idea," Kasumi grumbled. "All I have are images, fuzzy round the edges. I remember the card game, then going for more...alcohol," she said 'alcohol' like it was an unholy word. "Then dancing, lots of dancing. Drinking, definitely lots of drinking. I think Miranda put on some kind of costume...So did Ken..."

"Yeah, where did he get that from?" Casey interrupted.

"I have no idea. I'm hoping Miranda had a spare, and not that it was one of his own... I remember someone hacked the plants...Then it gets really blurry. I woke up in the kitchen."

"Alone?"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow, "Yeah...why?...Do you know something?"

Casey grinned, "I may have found you lying beside someone..."

Kasumi looked thoughtful, then grinned. "Was it Jacob? I remember dancing with him...and...I remember sleeping next to someone. I definitely remember feeling someone up in the night."

Casey's mouth dropped open. "I'm going to stop you there," she cut in, "You were sleeping next to Mordin."

Kasumi laughed, "Yeah right! He left really early, something about important experiments. No I was dancing with Jacob, then I went into the kitchen to get some cake, but no one had put it in the oven...then I had a cake mix fight with someone..."

"Mordin?"

"No, it wasn't Mordin. I had the cake mix fight with someone, then we sang some songs-"

"Patter songs?"

"It wasn't Mordin! Then we got tired and had a little lie down, but there was definitely some groping, I remember running my fingers through his..." She stopped, thinking. "He didn't have hair...Oh my God, it _was_ Mordin!" She clasped her hand to her mouth, and Casey rolled around on the bed in hysterics.

"Don't. Tell. Anyone!" Kasumi warned.

"I won't," Casey spluttered through the laughter.

Kasumi rolled her eyes, then froze, staring at Casey. "What's that on your neck?"

Casey was still laughing, "What?"

"Are those teeth marks?"

_Uh oh. _She wasn't laughing anymore. Kasumi seemed to be putting two and two together. "You weren't at the party for long...neither was Garrus...You both disappeared...together..." A huge grin spread across Kasumi's face. "You didn't?!"

Casey knew it was meant to be a secret, but she was a terrible liar, and Kasumi had already worked it out. "Ok, yes, we did."

Kasumi hopped around excitedly, but soon stopped and clutched her head again.

"But you can't tell anyone," Casey pleaded. "We're keeping it a secret for now."

"For now?" Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Is this...are you actually going to start seeing each other? Like...dating?"

Casey nodded, which resulted in more hopping from Kasumi.

"But promise you'll keep it secret!" Casey repeated.

Kasumi smiled, "You keep mine, I'll keep yours. But, you need to tell me _everything_!"

* * *

When Kasumi had heard all the details, and fallen asleep in Casey's bed, Casey decided it was time to stretch her legs. She left her room, nodding awkwardly at the male Quarian she'd never met before, who was carrying a glass of water towards Tali's room, and headed for the mess hall. People were already starting to clean up, though Casey thought it'd be a while before there were any real improvements. Miranda was sitting at the large table with James and Ken, and all of them were drinking water, with hands on their heads.

"Never again," Casey heard Miranda mutter.

"I don't know how to get it off," James murmured, looking at his face in a small mirror. There were still drawings and writing all over it, the most notable one read 'James Vagina'.

"Where did I get that outfit?" Ken asked no one in particular.

"I mean, what was in that bottle?" Miranda asked.

"Water don't work, scrubbing don't work..."

"Did I buy it somewhere? It seemed to fit really well..."

"I'm never drinking again."

"James Vagina, that's not even funny."

"I mean, the skirt is one thing, but where did I get the underwear?"

Casey continued on towards the elevator, taking it up to the command deck. Things were much more normal there, and she decided to pay a visit to Mordin in the lab. He was leaning over a tank containing one of the Seekers the Collectors sent out, and muttering to himself. In fact, he looked to be no worse for wear, but Casey noticed him grit his teeth slightly as she dragged a stool heavily across the floor. "Morning professor!" She said brightly.

"Yes, yes, morning. A little quieter please."

Casey played dumb, "My word professor, you're not...hung-over...are you?"

Mordin shook his head, then clasped his hand to it. "No, not at all. Salarians very good at handling their alcohol. Just have...unrelated migraine."

"I see." Casey made a big show of moving some heavy books around, accidentally on purpose knocking a few over.

"Casey, please!" Mordin cried, and Casey tried not to giggle. Ok, so she was a little vindictive. She was used to people making fun of her reactions to alcohol, it was kind of fun for the boot to be on the other foot.

"Sorry professor," she said, putting the books down. Mordin turned away, peering back into the tank.

"So...good party?" Casey asked.

"No, yes, fine."

"Any stories to tell? Drunken antics I might've missed?" Casey put on an innocent tone, and tried not to laugh when Mordin froze.

"No." He replied.

"That's good. I hear that when people get drunk, they do stupid things..."

"Ah, must check results of latest test-"

"You know, like, fool around with squadmates on kitchen floors..."

"Alcohol! Alcohol may be the key to slowing the seekers down. Should test this hypothesis, talk later Casey."

Casey grinned, but headed for the door. Mordin's voice slowed her. "Casey, please tell Ms Goto that while I enjoyed her company, what we did would be considered an abomination for both species, and must never happen again." He paused for a moment. "...Say it, kindly."

Casey put on a serious expression. "I'll break it to her gently."

She left the lab, watching as the unknown Quarian man gave advice to a clearly hung-over crewman about the best way to mop the floor. _Is everybody on this ship crazy?_

* * *

After a little more aimless wandering, Casey headed back to her room for a nap. Kasumi was still there, so she simply lay down beside her. She slept for a couple of hours, before being woken by Kasumi's Omni-tool beeping. "Get that," she mumbled.

"You get it."

"It's your Omni-tool."

"Then get out of my room."

"This is my room."

"...Shut up."

Casey kicked Kasumi gently until she finally read the message. She groaned. "Team briefing."

"They don't need me?"

"Don't think so. But if they need someone to dress like a hooker or get beaten up by an Asari I'll let you know."

Casey aimed a second kick, but Kasumi managed to dodge it. She blew her a kiss as she left the room, "Enjoy your beauty sleep."

* * *

When Casey woke up, she was overcome by a monstrous thirst. She left her room and headed for the Mess which, she was now surprised to find, was completely spotless. She poured herself a glass of water, and noticed several people sat at the tables. She saw Garrus, Shepard, James, Grunt, and Mordin. They didn't look like they were talking too seriously, so she went to join them. Most of the pen had now been removed from Shepard's and James' faces. Shepard now just had a few black marks, which could easily be mistaken for dirt gained from a mission. James still had most of the word 'vagina' written across his forehead, but nothing else.

Casey took a seat opposite Garrus. "Mind if I join?" She asked.

"Go ahead," Shepard replied. He continued to tell the group what they'd be doing for the next mission. Apparently they would be landing on Horizon, where a colony had just gone dark. They were investigating what had happened, and hoping to find survivors before it was too late. Shepard was leading this team, Miranda was leading another. Casey tried to pay attention, but it was hard when she felt Garrus' eyes burning into her. They hadn't spoken since the early hours of the morning, which felt so long ago now. Every now and then she chanced a look at him, which was a mistake. He was looking at her with such a hunger she was surprised the others on the table hadn't noticed it. Yet he was still participating in the conversation at the same time. _How does he play it so cool? _

"We should be arriving within the next twenty minutes, get your gear," Shepard said, getting to his feet. The rest of the team, including Garrus, followed, though he gave her one final glance before he left. Casey finished her water and put the glass in the kitchen. "You're still here?" She asked the Quarian man, who began to wash the glass. "I thought you lived on Omega?"

"I do, but the ship took off and...well...I didn't want to bother anyone..."

"Hey, need some help with this garbage!" Another crewman called from across the mess.

"Right away sir!" The Quarian replied, before shrugging at Casey and leaving.

Casey shook her head, and walked to the elevator, hoping to perhaps catch sight of Garrus again before they left. When the doors opened, there he was, standing alone in the elevator. "I forgot something," he said, by way of an explanation. Then moved forward, taking her by the hand and pulling her in.

"What did you forget?" She asked, breathless at being this close to him, despite the fact that he was already in his armour.

"This," Garrus punched the emergency stop button, leaned in and kissed her, holding her in his strong arms. Casey went slightly lightheaded. When it was over, she kept hold of him, worried she might go all damsel-like and faint. Garrus raised an eyebrow, or the Turian equivalent. "Have you eaten yet today?"

"It's on my list."

"Uhuh. Well, like I said earlier, you need to keep your strength up. I've got some new moves lined up for later."

Casey laughed, "Moves?"

"Oh yeah, prepare to be impressed."

Casey took him by the hands, suddenly very aware that he was going and she wasn't. "Just...be careful, ok?"

Garrus gave her a final kiss, before starting the elevator up again. "With you to come back to, I can't fail."

He stepped out of the elevator, leaving Casey to ride it alone for the next few minutes, while she decided how on earth to keep herself busy until he returned.

* * *

Casey had been monitoring the mission with Traynor, and all in all it seemed to be going well. The Collectors were unaware of the team's presence, which was useful, because they'd bought a huge ship, and probably had enough soldiers to take out even the legendary Commander Shepard. So far both teams were focusing on finding survivors, while making their way towards the colony's defence cannons. Once those were online, they could (hopefully) tear through the Collector ship before it even had time to power up.

"How's it going?" Traynor asked.

"Good, no survivors as yet on our end: they've already been cleared out, but Miranda's group have found some. They're in stasis still, so they've had to drag them out of the way."

"The Seeker antidote working out?"

"I'll let you know when we get a chance to test it."

Casey was watching a digital image of the Collector ship, marvelling at the sheer size of the thing, when something happened. It changed colour, from blue to orange. "What does that mean?" She asked, pointing to the image.

"Huh?" Traynor looked up from her notes. "Oh...that's not good."

"What?"

"The ship is powering up, they must know Shepard's here."

"Do something!"

"Uh...right! Shepard! Shepard, come in!"

Nothing, just static.

"Shepard, this is Traynor, please respond!"

Still nothing.

"Comms are down!" Traynor said, pressing what seemed like hundreds of buttons on her console. "They can't hear us."

"Then how will they know the ship is powering up?"

"Well I'm guessing the noise from the giant gun will do it."

Casey's eyes widened. "What should we do?"

"I don't know! With comms down there's no way to contact them, and the whole team are down there, no one to send in!"

Casey didn't even need to think. "I'll go!"

"What? You don't have military training, or Mordin's Seeker repellent!"

"I can't do nothing! We have to warn them!" Casey cried, already running for the elevator.

* * *

Within seconds she was in the shuttle bay. "Cortez!" She yelled at the Pilot, who was leaning up against the shuttle.

"Hey Case, what's up?"

"I need you to take me to Horizon!"

"What? I just got back from there...What's wrong?"

"I'll explain on the way," she climbed in to the shuttle.

"Casey, I can't take this bird out without Shepard's say so."

"Steve, please trust me. Shepard is in danger, we need to warn him."

Cortez paused, then nodded. He disappeared from sight for a moment, then returned, throwing a footlocker inside the Shuttle. "Suit up."

Casey opened the locker, inside was some armour, a pistol, and a sniper rifle. She took a breath.

"I hope I don't get fired for this," Cortez sighed, and the engines of the shuttle roared to life.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry it's been longer coming than usual, but I've been back at work and very very busy! Be patient, I'll try to be a bit more regular :)**

* * *

Casey tried to calm her breathing, but it wasn't working. She got dressed into the armour in the back of the shuttle, then slung the sniper rifle over her shoulder. _Not that I have any idea how to use it. _She picked up the pistol, realising for the first time that it was her own: the one Garrus had bought her. "Where did you get this?" She asked, holding it up. Cortez glanced over before turning back to the console. "It got put in the armoury after the mission on Omega, figured you'd want your own gun.

"Thanks," she muttered, turning it over in her hands. Her thoughts were on Garrus. Would she get there in time? She knew he was tough. More than tough, but how much did that matter if a giant gun began firing at you?

Cortez dropped her at the edge of the colony. "I can't risk getting any closer if that ship's powering up," he said, as the doors to the shuttle opened. Casey nodded, and slipped her gun into the holster on her leg.

"I'll be right here," Cortez continued. "Bring the others and hopefully we can get the Hell out of here before that gun's fully operational. Good luck."

And that was it. Casey stepped out onto solid ground, and was suddenly all on her own. The air was hot and heavy, and her hair immediately clung to her moist forehead. She saw a number of buildings ahead, and wondered how on Earth she'd know where to start looking. She took a breath, and made her way into the colony.

She walked past a number of buildings, all of which appeared to be completely deserted. No colonists, no Collectors, no Shepard. But no Seeker swarms either, which was good at least. Casey wondered if they returned to the ship after they'd paralysed their victims.

* * *

She'd been walking for a couple of minutes when she heard a sound behind her. Without pausing to think, Casey slipped into one of the small buildings. Once inside she ran to a nearby bed, and hid behind it. It was lucky she did, because at that moment the door opened again.

Casey had never seen a Collector in real life, but she was in no doubt that the two figures at the door were Collectors. Their bodies were insect like and intimidating, and they had four eyes, each of which glowed yellow. Casey held her breath. The two of them seemed to be talking about something, and stood in the doorway making low growls and clicking noises. Casey saw one of them point to the far end of the room: just behind her, though she managed to duck below the bed before they turned around. She wondered why they were there, when all the colonists seemed to be gone.

Then she saw him. There was a colonist, he was hiding under the bed: unnoticeable by her until she'd dropped to the floor. He was in the paralysis that the Seekers put people under, with a look of sheer terror on his face. The Collectors continued to talk, but were making their way over now.

_They know he's here! They're coming to get him!_

Casey's heart was hammering so loudly she was surprised they hadn't heard it already. What should she do? There was no way she could get away without being spotted. Time seemed to slow down as she thought frantically. _I have a gun. Two guns actually. _The thought startled her. But it made sense. She was armed for this very reason: to protect herself. To kill anyone who would hurt her. And these two would definitely do that, given the chance. They were armed too, but she had one advantage: they didn't know she was here. They were almost at the bed, if she was going to do it, it had to be now.

Casey slid the handgun out of its holster and jumped up. She fired a shot into the chest of the first Collector before it'd even reacted to her presence. As the other one went for his gun, she fired a single shot into his abdomen. He dropped onto the floor. She quickly moved over to the first, who lay on the floor, firing a shot into his head as he reached for his gun, and then did the same for the second. The shots rang out loudly, and she prayed they didn't have any friends outside. But no one came.

Casey looked down at the bodies of the first people she'd ever killed. But she didn't feel anything. She wasn't happy, but she wasn't upset either. Still, her legs were wobbling, and she had to sit on the bed for a moment to regain herself. She dropped the gun beside her. Garrus had been right, changing the weapon had made a big difference. The gun fit so snugly in her hand: like it was made to measure. It almost felt like the bullets came out of her own hand, to reach the exact targets she'd wanted.

She heard the noise faintly at first: gunfire. But as she became more aware of what the it was, it seemed to get louder. _Garrus! _She thought desperately, picking up the gun and running towards the sound.

* * *

Casey arrived in a clearing, and it was Grunt she saw first, barrelling down three Collectors. He turned, and she heard him yell "Who's next?!" There didn't seem to be any shortage, as more and more Collectors, arrived. Shepard was a little further off, crouching behind some crates with Mordin. The both stood up alternatively to fire at oncoming enemies. She couldn't see James, Garrus, or Miranda's second team. There was a noise behind her, and Casey spun around. Three Collectors, clearly on their way to the fight, stood just a few feet away. There was a look of what could only be described as bemusement on their faces. This, however, didn't last long, and within seconds all three of them raised their guns. A gunshot rang out, and one of them dropped to the floor. The other two turned, momentarily forgetting Casey and looking for the shooter. Another shot, and another Collector down. Two seconds later and all of them lay dead on the floor at Casey's feet.

Casey turned, and watched as Garrus emerged from a nearby second floor window. He dropped down, but didn't look at her. He was too busy scanning the immediate area for more Collectors. Then he took hold of her arm, and pulled her into the building. He didn't stop until they'd gone upstairs, and into what Casey assumed was the same room he'd just dropped out the window off. "What the Hell are you doing here?" He asked, sounding angry.

"Casey?" James entered from a second door, inserting a thermal clip into his assault rifle. His face was damp with perspiration: the words written on his face now completely gone. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to warn you! The Collectors are attacking!"

James and Garrus glanced at each other, and Casey became painfully aware of the sounds of the battle outside. Above the rest of the noise came the words "I. AM. KROGAN!"

"Well, I'm glad you told us," James said, clearly trying not to laugh. "Otherwise we might not have noticed."

Casey's face burned. "Not them. Well, not just them. I mean the Collector ship, it's powering up. The gun's going to come online!"

Now James and Garrus looked concerned. "Shepard!" James called into his radio.

"Forget it," interrupted Garrus, "Comms are out, remember?"

"Shit."

"We'll have to find him and tell him," Garrus said, and James nodded. Then Garrus turned to look at Casey, and she was suddenly more aware than ever of how much bigger than her he was. Boy, could he look scary when he wanted to. "You stay here," he said, and she could only nod.

James and Garrus headed out of the door, closing it behind them. She heard the sound of something being dragged, and assumed that they had blocked the door with something heavy. Casey was relieved to have passed on the message, but in all honesty, a little annoyed that she'd been left behind. If only they'd seen her take out those two Collectors! Then she shook her head. _That's right Casey, _two_ Collectors. What good would you be against an army? You couldn't even take down three of them! You'd only hold the others back!_

Knowing she was right, she slumped into a chair facing the window with a sigh. She could see the fight from here, and watched as Garrus and James reached Shepard. Shepard and Garrus ran to a console in the middle of the clearing, while the others continued to fight off Collectors. There were other enemies now, and from where Casey sat, they looked like humans. _Husks, _she thought with a shudder. They'd told her about those. She took the sniper rifle off her shoulder, and peered down the sight to get a better view. Shepard was typing something rapidly into the console, and Garrus was using his rifle to gun down approaching enemies. She couldn't take her eyes off him. There was something about the way he fought that was just so...desirable. He was controlled, focused, and didn't seem fazed by anything.

Garrus turned for a moment to talk to Shepard, and Casey saw a number of Husks appear as if from nowhere behind him. Without hesitation she aimed the rifle, and took out one of them with a shot to the head. Garrus turned, and took out the remaining Husks within seconds. He looked down at the body of the one Casey had killed, and then glanced up to the window with a curious expression. She watched as he gave a little smile, and then began shooting a group of Collectors who soon appeared.

Casey breathed a sigh of relief. Her first sniper shot had not only been on target, but it had actually helped someone. And she had to admit, there was a part of her that had enjoyed it. Watching that vile creature fall down dead before it could hurt anyone had given her a little thrill, and seeing Garrus' expression had given her an even bigger one. Was there some part of her that wanted to be in the squad like this permanently?

She couldn't think about that right now, so she decided to just do whatever she could to help. She moved the rifle, focusing on the different team members: first Shepard, then Garrus, then James, then Garrus again, Grunt, Garrus, and then finally Mordin. _Wait...where is Mordin?_

Casey scanned the area, but there was no sign of him. None of the others seemed to notice: they were all too busy, but Casey began to panic. What if he was in trouble? Mordin was her friend, and the whole reason she'd been allowed to join the Normandy, she couldn't let anything happen to him. She knew he'd been in STG, but that was a long time ago, would it be easy for him to get overpowered by a group of Collectors?

* * *

She was still desperately searching through the rifle sight for any glimpse of him, when she noticed something. There was a pile of crates not too far from her which had toppled over. Had they always been like that? She wasn't sure, but there was a chance they'd fallen recently, and Mordin could be trapped!

Casey slung the rifle over her shoulder and ran for the door. It didn't budge. _Garrus! _She thought angrily. She checked out the other one, but it just led into a little bathroom. Heading back to the window, she could see that little had changed outside, the others were still fighting and Mordin was still nowhere to be seen.

Casey looked at the drop from the window. Not too high. _Garrus and James made it..._She climbed out, dropped to the ground, and landed awkwardly. Pain streaked through her left ankle, and it was all she could do not to fall over. But she knew if that happened she wouldn't get up: probably just crawl off somewhere and wait to be rescued, and that was not going to happen. Gingerly, she put some weight on her ankle. Not broken at least. She hobbled over to the fallen crates, lucky to still be on the edge of the fight and therefore not come across any enemies.

"Mordin?" She hissed, beginning to move the boxes. Nothing. "Mordin? If you're in there, please let me know...otherwise I'm just moving crates..."

There was a noise then, nothing much, but enough to spur Casey on. After several minutes, and a lot of sweating, she found Mordin. He had been buried pretty deep, and seemed only partially aware of where he was. "Casey?" He asked dreamily.

"Come on," she said, reaching in and pulling him out.

"Are you a soldier now?" He asked, glancing at the armour she wore.

"No, as usual no one really knows exactly what I do," she replied, allowing him to lean on her. This made the pain in her ankle even sharper.

"You really smell."

Casey laughed, "Thanks."

At that moment a group of Husks arrived, and though he leaned on her, Mordin used his free hand to shoot at them with his gun. _At least his aim's not off, _Casey thought, as they began to fall all around them. She reached for her gun, and helped Mordin finish off the last few.

"Good work," he panted.

"You too."

"Chest shots...rather clumsy...should always aim for head. I'll give you a lesson back on the ship..."

"Right."

She dragged him out, intending to go back to the building, but they were cut off by more Collector troops arriving.

"Oh crap!" Casey gasped.

"Not good," Mordin agreed.

Suddenly the Collectors' heads began exploding, and Casey realised they were being shot with sniper rifles. She turned, and watched as Garrus and James took out the enemies. Grunt was at her side, and slung both she and Mordin over his shoulders, and ran towards Shepard and the others. He threw them down behind some shelter. Shepard looked at her and Mordin with a puzzled expression. "Casey? What are you doing here? What happened to Mordin?"

Casey was out of breath from helping Mordin walk, and could barely respond. "Came...to...warn...about...Collectors..."

Shepard looked confused, "Uh...well...I kind of know about the Collectors."

"She means their gun," Garrus cut in. "She's the one who realised it was coming online."

Shepard understood now, "And Mordin?" He asked.

"I helped him out, some crates had fallen on him."

Shepard nodded, "Keep him safe. We're out of here as soon as I can get the colony defence systems online. Comms are back up, thanks to EDI and Traynor." He began talking to EDI while punching numbers into the console beside them. Grunt and James continued to shoot oncoming Collectors, but Garrus stayed on the floor beside Casey for a moment.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Fine. You?"

He nodded. "EDI's managed to delay the Collector ship's gun from coming online. Some kind of infiltration of their systems, I don't know how exactly. But it can't last, they're already attempting to bypass her. We need to get these guns online. The others are on their way."

Garrus was still looking at her. "Nice shot earlier," he said. He reached out, as if to put his hand on hers, when James' voice rang out. "Vakarian! Wanna give us a hand here?"

Garrus got to his feet, and joined the others as they fought off Collector troops. Casey wanted to help, but one look at Garrus told her he wouldn't let that happen. He was just trying to protect her, she was sure of that, but she didn't like feeling useless. Unfortunately, it was a feeling she was more than used to.

* * *

Shepard was still typing things into the console, to no avail. Luckily the others would be there within minutes. Just as Casey started to think it might be almost over, a Husk appeared as if from nowhere. It jumped onto Shepard's back, its arms around his neck. Shepard couldn't reach his gun, and Casey was nowhere near a good enough shot to take out the Husk without hitting Shepard. She ran towards the two of them and grabbed the Husk by the neck, pulling and squeezing with all her might. Within moments it had let go of Shepard, and was scrabbling and scratching at her arms. Its long nails bore deep paths along her flesh, but she couldn't let go. It threw her around in an attempt to shake her off. Then she felt its teeth bite into her right arm once, then again, and again. She screamed as blood seeped from the wounds. Shepard was lining up a shot, but the way the Husk was moving meant it was only in the sights as often as Casey herself.

Then it stopped. It went limp, and she could finally release her hold. She couldn't have strangled it, she wasn't holding that hard, was she? Her questions were answered when Kasumi appeared out of thin air, her Omni-blade raised. "Can't stay out of trouble huh?" The sounds of gunfire surrounded them as the rest of the group joined the fight. Casey's legs trembled, she was losing a lot of blood, and Kasumi caught her before she dropped.

"What happened?" She knew that voice, Garrus was at her side. He gently but firmly pushed Kasumi out of the way, and took Casey's arms in his hands, looking at them with a shocked expression. "Medi-gel!" He barked, and Jacob appeared, quickly applying it to Casey's skin. She screamed again, shook him away, it was burning! Kasumi reappeared, and roughly pushed Jacob aside. "Husk's have toxins in their saliva, you have to drain it first otherwise she could get blood poisoning."

Garrus looked at Jacob like he wanted to rip him apart. But Casey wasn't paying too much attention: her eyes were on the large needle Kasumi had removed from the med kit. "I'm sorry Case, this will hurt a bit," she said, as she inserted it into her arm. As she drained the poison, Casey immediately began to feel better. When it was done Kasumi picked up the small tub of medi-gel. "This will probably still sting a bit," she sighed. Casey recoiled slightly, and Kasumi paused, before handing the tub to Garrus. "Here, I should help Shepard anyway."

Garrus scooped out some of the paste, and took Casey's hand. He gently rubbed the medi-gel into her skin. It still stung, but there was something about the delicate strokes of his hands that soothed her, and she relaxed. Garrus' eyes never left her arms as he concentrated on his task. When he was done, the wounds looked better, though still there. There wasn't enough to get rid of the marks completely, so her arms still looked hideous. Garrus reached into the med kit and grabbed some bandages, and wrapped both arms from wrist to elbow. Finally he looked up into her eyes. "Better?"

Casey nodded.

"That's it?" Casey heard Shepard's voice from where he stood at the console.

"Yeah," Kasumi replied.

"I bang on that console for like half an hour, you click three buttons and the guns are online?"

"What can I say Shep? Some of us have got it, some of us haven't."

"Well let's get locked on to that-"

At that moment there was an earth-shattering noise, and the ground began to shake. Casey looked up, and watched as the Collector ship began to take off. The remaining Collector troops (of which there weren't many) and Husks, were easily taken out while they watched in horror as their ship left without them.

"Guess they saw we got the guns working," Garrus suggested. He glanced down at Casey and smiled, "Come on."

* * *

Casey heard Shepard talking to Cortez, arranging for him to pick them up. Grunt lifted Mordin, who looked worse than ever, and carried him to the landing zone. Casey got up, and then yelped. Her arms may have stopped hurting, but her ankle was still agony. Before she had time to protest, Garrus lifted her into his arms.

She saw the shuttle land, but that wasn't the only movement. A few colonists were emerging from a nearby building. One of them wore Alliance armour, and Casey watched as Shepard stopped in his tracks, before running towards the woman. She greeted him with a hug, but her expression was almost cold. "Who's that?" She asked as Garrus carried her towards the shuttle. Garrus followed her gaze.

"Well...I'll be damned: Ashleigh Williams."

"The girl who used to be on your squad?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to say hello? I can walk the rest of the way."

"I doubt you can walk a single step," Garrus smiled. "No, it looks like she and Shepard are catching up."

"She looks mad."

"That's how she always looks."

She looked up at Garrus, who was still smiling, though he looked worried. "Honestly, I'm fine. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Worried? Panicked. Hysterical. Frenzied. All words I would use to describe how I felt every time you almost died today. Hell, I almost ripped Jacob's throat out for applying the medi-gel too early."

"You don't need to worry about me, I can handle myself."

"Uhuh. And almost getting killed by Collectors, ripped apart by a Husk...that's handling yourself?"

She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. His smile was gone, and he wasn't looking at her. She felt herself becoming slightly angry, angry that he seemed to have no idea what she was capable of. "Put me down," she insisted, and to her surprise, he did.

"You didn't see all the times I looked after myself. I don't need rescuing," she said indignantly. Casey turned to enter the shuttle alone, but her ankle gave out, and she ended up on the floor. Luckily the rest of the crew were either already on board, or talking to Williams, and so no one but Garrus saw. He helped her back up. "What was that about not needing help?" He was smiling now, and she couldn't help but laugh at herself. She let him lift her into his arms. He nuzzled her affectionately, planting a kiss on her neck that would've been difficult to see by anyone else.

"Casey, whether you like it or not, I'll always be here to pick you up." With that he carried her into the shuttle. No one gave them a second glance as Garrus sat down, Casey on his lap. She leaned into his shoulder, smelling his delicious scent, and was asleep before they'd even taken off.


	15. Chapter 15

**Once again I'm so sorry for the delay guys! I've been really busy at work, and am in the process of applying for new jobs (interview on tuesday, eek!). I'm trying my best, but stick with me, and I'll try to make it worth it! Hope you like the new chapter, thanks for all the great feedback so far :)**

* * *

"How does that feel?"

"Good." Casey moved her foot up and down gently. There was no more pain.

Doctor Chakwas smiled, putting the lid back on the pot of medi-gel. "It was only a sprain, you're lucky it wasn't broken. Just try not to jump out of any more windows."

Casey smiled, and watched as Chakwas headed over to Mordin, who appeared to be attempting to leave the med bay. "Hold up there Mordin, you need to rest," she sighed, as she led him back to bed for the third time.

Casey looked at Garrus, standing beside her. "What?" She asked, in response to his concerned expression.

"I'm still mad at you, for making me so worried." He didn't look mad, not really.

"You act like I'm completely useless. I took out two Collectors on my own, and saved Shepard from that Husk, _and_ got Mordin out from under those crates when no one else realised he'd gone!"

"I don't think you're useless," Garrus muttered. "The opposite actually."

"Good," Casey began. She took a deep breath, knowing he wasn't going to like what she said next. "Because I was thinking...maybe I could come along on some of the missions? Nothing too dangerous, I'm not trained and I don't want to slow you down, but I can help with some of the other stuff?"

Garrus appeared to be thinking for a moment, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Casey asked defensively.

"Well for one thing, it's not up to me. Shepard decides the squad, and he's only looking for those who've gone though intensive training. You're good Casey, but he wouldn't want to risk bringing anyone who isn't fully prepared."

"Ah Casey!" The two of them turned around to watch Shepard enter the med bay. He nodded to Doctor Chakwas, who appeared to be strapping Mordin down with some large restraints, and continued towards Casey and Garrus. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm fine," Casey replied, before Garrus had time to say anything to the contrary.

"Good. That was great work down there, if you're up for it, I'd love to bring you along on the next mission. I think we could use your skills, and you're clearly committed."

"Thanks Commander, I'd like that," Casey replied, trying to avoid Garrus' gaze.

"Excellent," Shepard grinned. He nodded at Garrus, before heading out of the lab as quickly as he'd arrived. Casey tried not to smile as she kept her eyes on her ankle, but she could feel Garrus staring at her. Luckily at that moment Doctor Chakwas arrived. "Ok Casey, I think you can go. But go straight to your room and lie down. In fact, Garrus, can you take her?"

"Of course," Garrus replied gruffly. Casey lowered herself off the bed and moved towards the doors. She knew Garrus wouldn't be happy, he'd obviously thought Shepard wouldn't even consider instating her more permanently into the squad. But no one ever quite knew what Shepard was planning. Casey wasn't even sure how much help she could be, but every time she'd come along for a mission, she'd enjoyed it, and she'd been useful, at least in some way. But clearly this new role came with a downside, and the last thing she wanted was to fight with Garrus. Even now as she walked back to her room, she felt his eyes boring into the back of her head. It was like he was a Lion, and she a Gazelle...she was waiting for him to pounce, and not in the way she would like.

* * *

They entered her room, and she turned to face him as soon as the doors closed. "I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"What for?" He asked. She was confused, surely he knew exactly why he was mad at her?

"For...well, for coming along, for making you worry, for wanting to be a part of the squad. I'm not trying to make things difficult." Garrus didn't say anything for a moment, but then he smiled, and sat at the chair by her desk. He took her by the hand and pulled her onto his lap. "I didn't want you to come along because I didn't want you to get hurt, and yes, I did worry. But you did a lot of good things while you were down there with us, and I can't imagine the mission would have gone as well without you. That was what was bothering me in the med bay, I knew as soon as I saw you that you'd already gotten a taste for it. You felt what we all feel, the adrenaline, the excitement, and the huge responsibility. I knew that if you felt that, you'd want to join us. As for making things difficult...well, I knew you'd never be boring." He pulled her closer, running a trail of kisses down her neck. She tried to empty her mind, but inside she was practically singing: Garrus wasn't mad at her! He still liked her, and now she was going to be more involved with the missions!

She couldn't think straight for long though, as she felt Garrus place his hand on her leg, and slowly begin to run it up towards her thigh. The mood was slightly spoiled, however, when she remembered how sweaty and gross she was from Horizon. She took his hand and pulled away from his kisses. "Before we...well, I need to take a shower."

Garrus smiled, "Don't keep me waiting long."

Casey got to her feet and practically ran to the bathroom. She struggled out of the armour, stumbling and almost falling into the toilet at one point. Finally she was completely naked, except for the bandages on her arms. She started the water running, and stepped into the steam. She watched as grime and muck washed off her face and arms and down the drain. There was a noise behind her, and she felt a cool rush of air as the shower door opened. She turned around. There was Garrus, completely naked, standing in the doorway. Once again she was struck by just how tall he was, and how small she was in comparison. He almost took up the whole space of the doorway, "I need a shower too," he said.

Casey smiled, and he joined her, closing the door behind him. For a moment he seemed to just stare at her body, his gaze resting on her breasts, and between her legs. She laughed, "If you're in here, you can help me." She tried to sound relaxed, but she was already tingling with anticipation. She handed him a sponge and some soap, which he took without argument. She turned her back on him, and felt as he began to wash her back. He was delicate and tender, beginning with her shoulders, and slowly making his way down her body. He moved closer to her, and reached round to wash her front. She felt him harden against her behind, and that sent shivers down her body. Standing behind her, he began to wash her neck, slowly moving to the point where her breasts began. Then he was rubbing the sponge against her breasts, and her nipples hardened beneath his touch. She felt his cock begin to throb against her. "Turian women don't have these," he breathed into her ear. "The biggest mistake in the whole galaxy," he paused, "Not that I'm only with you for...uh..."

"Shut up Garrus," Casey grinned, and he seemed to relax. He dropped the sponge and used his hands to spread the soap suds across her skin. His fingers circled and squeezed her nipples, but gently and sensuously. This teasing was driving Casey wild! She leaned back slightly, resting her head against him, and letting him continue his gentle kisses on her neck.

His hands were moving now, but he continued the pretence of washing her skin. He stroked the lips of her pussy gently with his thumb, locating her clitoris and slowly circling it. He began to slip one finger inside her, and Casey let out a moan. This is what she'd been waiting for. He slipped in a second finger, and began to move them in an out deliciously. Casey's breathing sped up, and she put a hand against the wall to steady herself. Then he stopped, "No!" Casey cried, before she could stop herself. Garrus began again, and just as she felt the pressure building between her legs, he stopped. It continued like this, Casey almost reaching her climax, but Garrus stopping just before she could. Finally she spun around, "Are you punishing me?" Casey asked in sudden realisation.

"Maybe," Garrus replied, smiling wickedly.

Casey reached up, stroking and then tugging gently at his fringe. "I'm sure you can think of a better way to do that," she whispered in his ear, just barely audible over the running water.

He heard it. He let out a little growl, and picked her up easily, shoving her hard against the tiled wall. He slid inside her, not gently, but fast and rough. She heard him moan as her tight, wetness, surrounded him, and watched as his pupils began to dilate. _This is more like it, _she thought gleefully, as he took her frantically. She felt herself building again, and without his teasing hands was able to climax again and again. The feeling of being completely filled up by him, of his hard skin rubbing against her clitoris, it was all too much.

Garrus wasn't far behind, and soon emptied himself inside her. She loved this feeling, it made her feel lightheaded: clearly something different in his DNA. Either way she clung on to him tightly, feeling like she was on some wonderful drug. Garrus turned off the water, and carried her back to the bedroom. He laid her out on the bed, before laying beside her.

They laid together silently for a few moments, Casey slowly feeling less dizzy, Garrus gently running his hand along her naked stomach as he spooned her. "When did you realise?" Casey asked suddenly, "That you liked me, I mean."

Garrus seemed to be thinking for a moment. "From the moment I met you, there was something, but I didn't know what it was. I'd never been attracted to a Human before, and at first I thought I was just curious about your species. I told myself that was why I started searching for...uh...biological vids about Humans online. Then I told myself that it was simply this curiosity that made me think about what you looked like underneath your clothes." Casey felt herself blush, then grin, and was glad Garrus couldn't see. He continued. "When you were the one to bring Goto on board, I began to get this weird feeling: I wanted to be around you all the time. I found myself looking out for you whenever I was on the ship, and trying to find reasons to talk to you. Not just that, I wanted to protect you. I tried to stop you taking part in the more dangerous missions...but somehow it kept happening anyway!"

Casey turned around, facing Garrus now. "I'd do anything to keep you safe," he said, his voice low.

"I know," she replied, putting her hand against his scarred face. He closed his eyes.

* * *

When Casey woke up, Garrus was standing beside the bed, fully dressed. "You're very quiet," she yawned.

"It comes with the territory," he smiled. "Hungry?"

She grinned wickedly, "For what?"

It seemed to take Garrus a moment to register what she meant, and during those few seconds Casey felt more than a little awkward. Finally a smile spread across his face, and he climbed into the bed beside her, kissing her softly. "Well, how about food now? And something else later?"

Casey nodded.

"We've docked in Illium," Garrus continued, climbing out of bed. "It's where we're picking up our next squad member, but that's not until tomorrow. Tonight, I thought I'd take you out for dinner. Call it our first official date?"

"I'd love that," Casey replied.

She paused, "What's wrong?" Garrus asked.

"I need to get dressed, but I'm embarrassed." She blushed, holding the sheet against herself. Garrus chuckled, "I've seen you naked, I've done terrible things to you naked, things that the people on this ship would be shocked to hear about. Now get up, and let me enjoy one of the perks of being your boyfriend."

Casey giggled, and got to her feet, leaving the sheet on the bed. She'd always been self conscious about her body. There was no particular reason, she'd just never felt confident being naked around boyfriends. Garrus was different though, he looked at her with a fascinating expression. She could tell he truly thought she was sexy, but not just sexy, he looked at her like he thought she was beautiful. She couldn't quite fathom it. "Do I not look really alien to you? I'm not like Turian women."

He moved closer, running one of his fingers from her shoulder, down one of her arms. "You're different, smooth. Alien? I suppose, but know this: after being with you, Turian women look far more alien to me now."

Casey kissed his hand, before moving to the wardrobe. "I'll leave you to it," Garrus said, "There are a couple of things I need to do before we leave. Meet you in twenty minutes?"

Casey nodded. As Garrus made to leave, he paused. "Wear the white dress."

* * *

Garrus had planned this well, while she'd been getting ready he'd told the other crew members that she wasn't up to a trip out yet, and was resting before the mission tomorrow. He'd also said he was too busy calibrating the gun to come out (something no one seemed to question). The crew had a big night planned, and it would be easy for Garrus and Casey to have a quiet night to themselves, and slip back aboard before the others got back. And so that was how Casey found herself walking through the streets of Illium, arm in arm with a man who could make her go weak at the knees by simply saying her name. They walked past several stores selling a variety of items: beautiful fish, weapons, tourist items, and one selling expensive jewellery. Casey found herself stopping at the window of this shop, her eye had been drawn to a necklace in the window. It was quite simple compared with the other items around it, an oval cut opal on a long white gold chain. The lights shining on it made it glow all different colours. But it wasn't the beauty of the necklace that had drawn Casey to it. She put her hand on the glass, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Are you ok?" Garrus asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine, it's just, my mother had a necklace just like that. My dad gave it to her before I was born. She used to let me hold it up to the light to see all the colours. They're meant to be unlucky, opals, she was wearing it when she died... so I guess..."

Garrus nodded. "You didn't get it?"

"I couldn't take it, it was hers. I made sure she was buried wearing it."

"Can I ask how she died?" Garrus' voice was quiet, so that Casey could pretend not to have heard the question if she wanted.

"Batarian slavers. We were visiting relatives off world, I don't remember much about it, I was so young. All I know is they were killed in a struggle, and I was shipped back to Earth. I was raised by my aunt, but we weren't close." Casey's eyes flicked to the price tag. The necklace was expensive, but she could afford it. She was actually getting a wage, that was something to be said about Cerberus at least! "I might buy it," she said, looking up at Garrus. "I know it's not hers, but it's something."

"Let me."

"Let you what?"

"Let me buy it for you," Garrus replied.

Casey shook her head. "I can afford it."

"I know you can," Garrus smiled, "But I want to."

Casey wasn't sure, she didn't like the idea of Garrus spending so much money on her, especially so early on in their relationship. Unfortunately, Garrus had already entered the store, and was pointing to the necklace in the window. The Asari clerk nodded, and within moments Garrus was back outside holding a small bag. "You didn't have to," Casey began.

"I wanted to."

* * *

They had found a quiet, outdoor restaurant overlooking a beautiful plaza, with a huge fountain in the middle. They'd finished dinner and had moved on to dessert, and Casey couldn't believe how normal this all felt: just having dinner with her boyfriend. "It's weird isn't it?" Garrus asked. "We could be anybody right now, just a couple who met at work, or through friends, not two people who found each other trying to save the galaxy."

"You read my mind," Casey replied.

"You look really beautiful tonight," Garrus said. Then his eyes fell onto her bandaged arms.

"I'm fine," Casey insisted. "If they scar then we'll match."

Garrus smiled, and reached into the little bag, which was on the floor under the table. "May I?" He asked, taking the necklace out. Casey nodded, and he stood up and walked behind her chair. He fastened the chain around her neck, and Casey reached up to touch the stone. It really was beautiful.

Unfortunately the moment was ruined when a Turian woman arrived at the table. "Garrus?" She asked. "I thought it was you!"

Garrus moved back to his seat and sat down. "Ilena?"

"It's been too long!" The woman replied, grasping her hands together. "How long have you been on Ilium?"

"Only just arrived, you?" Garrus was polite enough, friendly even, but something about his answers felt a little forced.

"Oh I've been here for a year now. I actually work at this restaurant! My friend said she'd just served a handsome Turian and I just knew it must've been you!" She paused, "But, Spirits, what happened to your face?"

"Ah, long story."

"Poor thing," she replied in a sickly sweet voice. Casey felt very awkward, like she was a third wheel on their date.

"It's nothing," Garrus replied briskly. "Anyway, this is a great place, we've really enjoyed our meals, right Case?"

Finally Ilena glanced at Casey, eyeing her suspiciously. "This...this is a friend of yours?" She asked.

"My girlfriend," Garrus replied without skipping a beat, and Casey felt herself swell with pride.

Ilena looked at Casey like she was a nasty smell. "Oh, I see," she said sourly. "Well, excuse me."

She quickly made her way towards the kitchen, and Garrus leaned forwards. "Sorry about that."

"Ex girlfriend?" Casey asked.

"No...well...not really."

Casey didn't need any more of an explanation. "Right," she replied.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea she worked here."

"It's fine," Casey replied. And it was. Garrus had made it clear he was with Casey, and that was good enough for her. She smiled, and Garrus got up, holding out his hand to help her to her feet. He turned on his Omni-tool, and digitally paid for the meal before Casey could protest. "What is it with you and paying for things?" She asked as they walked away. "Not trying to sound ungrateful, but I'm not someone who expects that!"

"It's a Turian thing," Garrus replied. "I guess it's kind of primal. We have this in-build need to look after our mates, protect them, feed them, all that kind of stuff. This just comes with that. Another element of having a Turian boyfriend." He pulled Casey closer, and they continued on in silence for a while.

"Ilena's clearly still interested," Casey said as they began to make their way back to the ship.

"Well, who could blame her?" Garrus asked in a mock serious tone.

Casey shoved him playfully. "I'm serious, I'm surprised she didn't bite me."

"I'm the only one who gets to do that," Garrus growled, gently nibbling her ears.

"So there's no attraction there for you?" Casey asked. She wasn't sure why she was pushing this, but now she'd asked she couldn't take it back. They were in a quiet alleyway now, and Garrus stopped walking, turning to face her. "The only person I'm attracted to right now, is you. In fact, especially right now, because seeing you in that dress reminds me of the first time you wore it, and how I finally got to do everything I'd wanted to do with you."

Casey raised an eyebrow, "Everything?"

Garrus looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"There's nothing else you'd like to do? Something we haven't done yet?"

Garrus looked even more confused. "I'm kind of limited by my experience with Turian women who, if I'm honest, aren't really big on sex. If there's something you want to try though, I'm game."

Casey couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she looked around. The alley was deserted. "Keep an eye open," she said, surprised at her ability to take charge.

"Here? Now?" Garrus asked, but she could see he was intrigued.

Casey nodded, and reached out, slipping her hand inside his pants before he could argue. He became hard almost instantly, and let out a little groan. "Eyes open, Vakarian," she ordered. "You're my look-out."

Casey dropped to her knees, delighted to see the look of confusion on Garrus' face. She unzipped his pants completely, though didn't pull them down. Instead she pulled his cock through the gap, and stroked it gently with her fingers. Ensuring she kept her eyes fixed on him, she didn't want to miss his expression, she slipped him into her mouth. The look on Garrus' face was priceless, shock, disbelief, and above all, pleasure. She couldn't take all of him, he was far too big for that, but Casey had always been good at this, and could go pretty far. Garrus closed his eyes, and she tapped him gently. He opened them again, scanning the alley lazily as she continued to suck on him. He wasn't too rough on her mouth, which was a good thing, and her tongue darted across his skin eagerly. She felt his hands on the back of her head, easing himself deeper into her every time she teased him by drawing away. His eyes were on her now, the possibility of being caught forgotten. She knew it wouldn't take long, and heard his breathing start to speed up. He made to pull himself out of her mouth, but she didn't allow it. She'd never really been big on this part before, but with Garrus it was different. She wanted everything, she wanted to feel it all, to taste him. She got her wish, and soon the taste of him overcame her senses. It wasn't like doing this with a human man, there was something decidedly fruity about the way he tasted, twinned with an almost alcoholic tang. As she swallowed everything, she began to feel woozy. _Oh crap, I forgot, _she thought faintly. She wobbled on her knees, and felt Garrus grab hold of her arms before she fell.

"Are you ok?" He asked, sounding worried.

Casey felt better than ok, she was drunk. _Drunk on Garrus_. She giggled at the thought, but tried to clear her head so that she could answer. "S'different with you," she said, wondering if he understood at all what she meant. He smiled, and she watched as he quickly zipped his pants back up, before easing her to her feet. He looked at her for what seemed like the longest time.

"I know exactly what you mean," he replied, slipping his arm around her waist and walking her gently back to the ship.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi guys, once again I'm sorry for the long pause! Things have been extremely hectic recently, and I really appreciate your patience. Here's the long overdue chapter, and hopefully there will be a much much shorter wait for the next one!**

* * *

Garrus practically carried Casey back to the Normandy, she was very unsteady on her feet. "We'll make sure we're somewhere with a bed the next time we do that," Garrus whispered as they walked.

"Next time?" Casey asked wickedly.

"There's no way I'm living my life without ever doing that again," Garrus replied, placing his arm protectively around her as a rowdy group of Turians passed.

They somehow managed to get to the ship, but Casey wasn't much closer to sobering up. Garrus helped her to her room and tucked her into bed.

When she woke up a few hours later, Garrus was gone. There was a note on her bedside table, it said "Something went wrong with one of the guns, so I've gone back to the battery to fix it. Didn't want to wake you. Sleep well, I'll see you at the briefing tomorrow. G." There was a strange symbol next to the G that Casey didn't recognise. She'd have to ask Garrus about it tomorrow.

Casey grinned and looked at the clock. A couple of hours more sleep, and then she'd be suiting up with the rest of the squad. She hugged a pillow to her chest and rolled over.

* * *

The group assembled at the usual time the next morning, and Shepard kept the briefing short. They were looking for an assassin called Thane Krios, and they knew he was somewhere on Illium. Unfortunately, that was all they knew, so they were splitting up and trying to find out as much as they could. Shepard had received an email from an old friend who worked in the information business, so his group were to start there. "I'll take Mordin, Tali, and Casey with me," Shepard said, nodding towards the two of them. Casey's heart started to hammer, working with Shepard? She'd been on missions with him before, but being chosen to work in his small squad, surely that was a big deal?

When the briefing ended, Casey casually made her way to Garrus. "Which group are you in?" She asked.

"None," Garrus replied, and she thought she could sense a note of disappointment in his voice. "That problem with the gun I mentioned? Far worse than I thought, needs a complete recalibration, and unfortunately no one else here knows how."

"That sucks," Casey sighed, the only answer she could think of.

"But at least you get to work with Shepard, he'll keep you safe."

"What's there to worry about?" Casey asked. "We're only looking for information."

"On one of Shepard's missions, there's always something to worry about...hmm...maybe it's not so great you were picked to be in his group..."

"Why do you think he picked me?" Casey interrupted.

"Not sure, maybe he wants to get to know you better. Remember, by signing up you've agreed to march into Hell with us. Shepard likes to know a person before he risks their life." Garrus grinned, and, now that everyone else had left, planted a delicate kiss on Casey's cheek. "You'll do great, just try not to wrestle any husks."

"I'll try," she smiled, turning and heading for the shuttle bay.

* * *

There was no doubt about it, Illium was a beautiful place, even the Citadel didn't quite seem to have the extravagance and splendour. But it was busy, and it seemed like Casey was constantly bumping into somebody important looking. Usually an Asari or Volus. Casey tried to keep up with Shepard, who walked incredibly quickly for someone who'd spent two years dead. Tali and Mordin lagged behind.

"And so the whole discount thing seemed like a really good idea at the time," Shepard was saying.

"Uhuh," Casey replied, sidestepping a Volus carrying a large box of paperwork.

"I just never thought everyone would get so touchy about it..."

"Of course not."

"I mean, "my favourite store"...since when was a person only allowed to have one favourite place?"

"Sure, I get that."

"But anyway, tell me more about yourself Casey, I feel like we barely know each other."

Casey suddenly felt very pressured to say something impressive about herself. Unfortunately, before meeting Shepard and joining the Normandy crew, nothing very exciting had ever happened to her. "Umm...well...I was born on Earth, but left as soon as I had the credits. My parents were killed when I was young, so I never really felt like I fit anywhere..." Casey trailed off, _good start, mention the lowest point in your whole life history. _

Shepard looked thoughtful, "My parents were killed when I was sixteen, Batarian slavers raided our colony."

_Oh and remind your boss of the horrific death of his parents, fantastic. _

"Sorry," Casey murmured.

"It's ok," Shepard replied, without slowing his pace at all. "We take strength from the bad things in our lives, it's what makes us who we are. But I'm sorry too, for what happened to yours."

Casey nodded.

"See, people think we're two dimensional characters," Shepard continued. "'The Great Commander Shepard'...I mean, I'd be the first person to say I'm nothing special. I'm just a normal guy...I'm lactose intolerant for crying out loud! Does that sound like the kind of guy who's destined to save the world?"

Mordin's voice drifted over from somewhere behind them, "Unless Collectors carrying blocks of cheese, think it will make little difference to your efforts."

Casey tried not to laugh, but Shepard chuckled. "Fair point Doc. Anyway, what I mean is, we're all just normal people, who make choices. Sometimes those choices mean we get to save the world, and if that can be done without fighting, even better. People seem to think there are battles wherever I go, but really that's not the case at all-"

At that moment Shepard turned to look at Casey, and accidentally walked straight into a Batarian carrying a stack of papers. The papers fluttered out of his hands and all over the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry," Shepard said, bending down to help pick up the papers.

"It's fine," the Batarian replied, then froze. He was staring at Shepard with a look of pure shock on his face. "Shepard?!" He asked questioningly.

"Do I know you?" Shepard asked.

"You're supposed to be dead!" The Batarian cried. "This is for my brother!" At that he pulled a pistol out of his pocket and aimed at Shepard. He missed, hitting a nearby stall. There were screams as the people in the market scattered, and Shepard and the others ran for cover. Other Batarians, presumably friends of the first, appeared within moments, and they were also armed. Gunshots rang out, and Shepard and Casey sought cover behind a stall. Mordin and Tali had overturned a table, and were firing from behind that. "What were you saying about living a peaceful life?" Casey asked, firing a shot into the leg of the nearest gunman.

"It's not usually this bad," Shepard argued.

"Ha!" Tali cried from behind the table. "Usually we don't even get a chance to hide first!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Shepard's group to take down the gang, and soon Illium's police force was there to apprehend those who'd survived, which was most of them. Casey noticed that Shepard and Tali had mostly taken non lethal shots. Apparently Mordin hadn't got the memo about that. Once the police had been informed that a Spectre was involved, and that there was therefore nothing they could really do, the group was allowed to continue on.

They arrived at a small building overlooking another market. A smug looking Asari secretary showed them into a fancy office, where another Asari was waiting. Casey immediately recognised her as the one from the photo on Shepard's desk, the one with the gentle eyes. She threw her arms around Shepard's neck, and began to frantically whisper into his ear words that Casey couldn't catch. Either way, Casey felt like she was intruding on something, and she wasn't the only one, Tali seemed to be positively squirming, though she greeted the Asari (named Liara) cheerfully when her time came. Liara seemed friendly enough, and was all too happy to provide information on the assassin. She told them that he was there to kill another Asari called Nassana Dantius, and that this would probably happen tonight.

"The Dantius towers are not far from here," Liara continued. "If you hurry, you should get there in time. I doubt your assassin would attempt anything until the building empties of workers at the end of the day."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks for the help Liara. Are you sure you can't come with us?"

Liara looked down at her desk. "I can't Shepard, I'm sorry. There are things I need to do here."

Shepard looked hurt, but recovered quickly. Casey wondered how often he used that mask of his. He nodded, and touched Liara's hand, "I'll see you soon." He said.

Liara put her hand on his face, "Try not to get into a fire-fight in the markets next time...I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"You know me," Shepard replied with a grin, "Indestructible." And with that he turned for the door, unfortunately banging his head slightly on the frame. Casey saw him clench his fists angrily as he headed out.

* * *

Casey, Shepard, Tali, and Mordin were the first to arrive outside the Dantius Towers. They were soon joined by Kasumi, Grunt, Miranda, and to Casey's surprise (and secret delight), Garrus. Shepard gathered the crew together. "Ok, Garrus, Miranda and I will head for Nassana. We know that's where the Assassin is heading, and it's our best bet of finding him. Mordin and Tali, I want you looking for workers and getting them somewhere safe. Liara said they usually clock out at the end of the day, but I've seen no one leave since we got here, and if Nassana is as unhinged as they say, those people could be in danger. Kasumi, Grunt and Casey, I want you cutting power and communications. We want to make it as difficult as possible for Nassana's guards to keep in contact, any questions?"

Kasumi, Casey and Grunt took a service elevator up to a room filled with more buttons and switches than Casey would've known what to do with. Luckily for her, Kasumi was a pro, and gave clear and simple instructions for Casey to follow. Grunt, however, was less keen on following orders, and had soon given up the delicate process of cutting wires. Instead he was pacing backwards and forwards, spinning around, and aiming his shotgun in a number of different ways. "Ready for anything," he muttered to himself, spinning around quickly and aiming over his own shoulder.

Kasumi rolled her eyes, and then whispered to Casey, "How was your date last night?"

Casey blushed in response. "That good?" Kasumi asked. She nodded towards Casey's new necklace, hanging slightly out of her light armour. "Bought you that?" Casey nodded. "Romantic," Kasumi replied. "Keji used to steal me stuff, won me over every time." She sighed, and then looked over at Grunt. "Hey, what's the most romantic thing you've ever done for a woman?"

Grunt turned around, "What?" He asked.

"Romantic, what's the most romantic thing you've ever done?"

Grunt shrugged, "I dunno, let a woman beat me in a fight?"

Kasumi sighed, "Krogan," she muttered.

Casey laughed. "Can you get the other tool kit?" Kasumi asked, "It's just outside the door." Casey jumped up and headed over. The hallway was still under construction in parts, and she stepped carefully around a small hole in the floor. She reached the toolkit and picked it up. Turning around she avoided the small hole this time by walking across a tarpaulin someone had left on the floor. Suddenly the world slipped out from under her, and Casey fell. She felt herself banging against something, like the walls were closing in on her as she dropped, and she closed her eyes. She only opened them again when she'd stopped. Darkness. She turned on her flashlight and looked around. It took her a few moments, but she eventually realised she was in a vent. There must've been an open cover in the floor, and they'd covered it with that tarp. It was roomier in here than she would've expected, though she had slid down a steep slope, and there was no way she could climb back up.

"Casey?!" Kasumi's voice echoed out of her radio.

"I'm ok," Casey coughed, "fell down a vent."

"I'll come get you," Grunt was speaking now.

"No," Casey replied, "You won't fit, and anyway, there's no way back up the way I came down. I'll just follow the vent till I find an exit. I'll be fine, just keep going with the power and communications."

"You sure?" Kasumi asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'll see you soon." Casey checked her limbs, all apparently in working order, if a little sore. She glanced at the passage ahead of her, and continued on her knees.

* * *

"I'll just walk over this big tarp lying across the floor, in a room with a floor full of holes. Yeah, nice work Casey", Casey muttered to herself in a silly voice as she followed the vents. It seemed like she'd been walking for an eternity when she rounded a corner and was met with a pistol pointed at her face. She stopped in her tracks, and looked past the pistol at its owner. He had light green skin and big, black, glassy eyes. She'd never met a Drell before, but she knew that's what he was. "Thane Krios?" She asked, not sure what else to do.

The Drell looked at her questioningly, but did not lower his weapon. His eyes flicked down, and Casey realised she was holding out her hand, as if to shake his! She kicked herself mentally, and slowly retracted her hand. Perhaps now was not the best time for handshakes. "My name is Casey," she continued. "I'm working with Commander Shepard, and we would like to request your assistance on a mission." Krios lowered his gun, only slightly.

"You are not one of Nassana's soldiers?"

Casey let out a little laugh, "Do I look like a soldier?" She gestured to her hair, which had broken free of its band at some point during her descent and was now hanging in tangled curls. Her armour was scuffed, and her hands were filthy from crawling through the vent. Krios lowered his gun completely, and put it in his pocket. "I would've killed you immediately, however I heard someone talking to themselves, and was curious."

"Oh, well, good to know..." Casey replied, not really sure where this is going.

"I may consider your Commander's deal, however I am currently occupied with something important." He turned to leave.  
"I'll come with you," Casey suggested, "Then I can tell you what we're asking."

Krios didn't reply, so Casey took this as a yes, and followed him through the vent. Along the way she filled him in on everything she knew about the mission. He didn't speak at all, and this made her nervous. Unfortunately, when Casey was nervous, she tended to talk even more, and so once she had finished filling him in on their mission, began to talk about herself, her interests, the weather, and what she imagined it must be like to be an assassin.

"I mean it must be exciting, you know, travelling the world, seeing new places, new people...killing some of the people. See that's where I have trouble. I'm not really a killer. Like, I'll kill someone to save myself, I'm sure most people would, but killing for a job? Not sure about that, you must have some real conscience conflicts at times, and then the pressure, I bet your job is stressful! I mean if your boss wants someone killed and then you don't do it, I imagine it's not much of a stretch to say your life might be at risk, and then there's-"

Krios held up his hand. He had stopped at a vent in the floor, and was peering through it. Casey came closer and looked down. There was an Asari and some guards, and now she could hear Shepard talking too. Krios opened the vent and dropped down. Casey watched with wonder as he took out countless guards in the room before the others had even realised anything was happening. He moved like a dancer, and if you ignored the fact that he was killing people, it was almost beautiful. Within moments Nassana was dead, and Shepard was approaching. He spoke to Thane, who did not say anything for a while. Casey saw Garrus at the back. She felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him. He moved out of sight, and she leaned further to get a better look. Unfortunately for her, that resulted in Casey falling out of the vent and onto the floor.

"Casey?" Shepard asked.

Casey got to her feet in the most dignified way she thought possible. Shepard was smiling, but turned back to Thane. "I see you met one of our squad already?"

"Oh yes," Thane replied. "We...talked at length. She makes a convincing case, for the most part. I will join you. No charge."

* * *

Casey showed Thane to his new quarters, and then returned back to her room. Garrus had disappeared into the Gun Battery to check whether his adjustments had taken. Casey thought she should probably go to bed, however that was the last thing on her mind. She was keyed up, and seeing Garrus, if only briefly, standing there in his armour, was enough to put one thing on her mind. She grinned, an idea forming. She ran to her wardrobe.

The door to the Gun Battery opened quietly, and Casey entered. Garrus turned around and smiled when he saw her. "Everything's working perfectly. Your boyfriend is officially a genius."

"Lucky me," Casey replied, locking the door.

"I tell you, these hands can fix anything." Garrus grinned, then looked slightly puzzled, eyeing her up and down. "Are you going out?" He asked, gesturing to the long coat Casey wore. "No," she replied, unbuttoning the coat slowly. She let it drop at her feet, standing now in only her underwear. Garrus' jaw dropped.

"So tell me," Casey began. "What else can you do with those hands?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Lots of reasons why this has been so late, but I won't waste your time with it, and I'll simply promise to do better! Hope you like the new chapter, it's building to some interesting chapters, so have patience with it :)**

* * *

The team briefing was at eight o' clock the following morning, and Shepard brought the group together to explain the next mission. They were looking to recruit subject zero, also known as Jack, a powerful biotic currently being held on board the prison ship purgatory. Though Cerberus had tried, the prison were unwilling to part with Jack.

"Doesn't that tell us something?" Garrus asked questioningly when Shepard brought this point up. "If they're unwilling to sell Jack to us, when we know this prison has a record for selling convicts, then clearly there's something seriously dangerous about this person."

"True," replied Shepard. "But the Illusive man thinks that Jack's biotics are crucial to our mission."

"What are you planning?" Thane asked, leaning on the table and looking at the holographic plan of the prison ship.

"The trouble we have," Shepard sighed, "Is that we have absolutely no idea where Jack is being kept. There's no point launching any kind of break out attempt until we find that out."

"So we send someone in?" Thane suggested.

Shepard nodded. "We'll need a few people. This ship is huge, and we have to maximise the possibility of hearing something from either the patients or guards."

"Hear something? Why not just send someone in to hack their files and get a look that way?" Kasumi asked.

Shepard shook his head. "They won't take new guards at the moment, at least not those who could get anywhere near the prisoner information…But a new shipment of prisoners arrives the day after tomorrow. I think we could add a few 'prisoners' of our own, accompanied by their own personal guards. That's a pretty common occurrence with really dangerous criminals, and while you won't get near their records, at least it means you can look out for each other."

"So who goes in?" Miranda asked.

"Well, you." Shepard said, looking a little sheepish, "with Samara as your personal guard. Then I thought Thane, with Grunt as the guard. They won't take a Krogan prisoner, the cells aren't built for that, but they'll take one as a guard." Grunt and Thane nodded. "And Casey, I thought you too. You always work well undercover, with Garrus as your guard. Garrus will take care of you" Casey tried to look impassive, tried not to think of the things she and Garrus had been doing by the gun battery only hours earlier, and nodded.

That day, and the one that followed, was all about preparing for the current mission. Casey and the others were expected to stay on the prison ship until they found any information about subject zero's location. That could take a day, or it could take weeks, or longer. She had spent about an hour trying to decide what to pack, until Traynor reminded her that she was posing as a convict, and would not be able to bring anything except possibly a toothbrush.

* * *

The night before the mission, Casey found herself in the mess with Garrus, Thane, Miranda, Grunt, and Joker (who had left the EDI in charge of piloting the ship so that he could 'help').

The others were attempting to give Casey some hints on how she should act in order to make everyone believe she was a dangerous criminal. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly going well, and the group soon realised that Casey had a certain inability to confront anyone, regardless of the situation.

"Ok ok, I've got it," Joker said, sitting up straighter. "Someone cuts in front of you in the line for the bathroom, how do you react?"

Casey shrugged, "I'd be annoyed, but I'd assume they needed it more…"

There was a collective groan from the others, "Casey, you're going into a prison filled with people who kill over smaller provocation than that," Thane said patiently.

"Yeah," Joker added. "So give us your most bad ass response. Pretend I'm the guy who cut in line." Joker got to his feet, and motioned for Casey to do the same. "Ok, I'm the guy," he continued. "Come at me with something!" He turned away.

Casey thought for a moment, then cleared her throat. Joker stayed with his back to her. "Excuse me," she began.

The others groaned again, though Casey knew it was more playful than serious. "Never say excuse me!"Garrus sighed. "That guy doesn't care about excuse me, he cares about people who act."

Casey cleared her throat again. "Hey!" Joker turned around, and she continued. "I don't know if you realised, but you just cut in front of me, and if you're going to do that, even if it's an emergency, you should really say excuse me, because otherwise people might think…" she trailed off, knowing she'd lost her argument. Joker was grinning.

"You're reasoning with him, you need to get up in his face, make him feel scared." Miranda said.

"I'm hardly scary looking," Casey replied.

Miranda smiled, "neither am I, but that doesn't stop me." She stood up and walked over to Joker, hissing, rather than shouting: "You cut in line again you little piece of shit and I'll rip your throat out with a biotic pull so strong not even your mother would recognise the bits of you I decide to wear as a necklace!"

There was a collective cheer from the group, and even Casey had to grin, Miranda was definitely a much scarier prospect than she was. "Ok", Casey began, and she and Joker sat down again. "I get Miranda's whole scary thing, but what about Thane?" She looked over at him, "I mean, I don't think I've ever heard you threaten someone like that."

Thane shook his head, "Not usually."

"Ah but he's different," Joker shrugged. "He's got that whole quiet, shadowy assassin thing going on." The others were nodding. "You take one look at that guy and you can tell he could kill you without even standing up."

Casey sighed. "I can't look tough, and I can't look like a…shadowy assassin…how is this going to work?"

"We could shave your head?" Grunt suggested.

"Uh…no."

* * *

All prisoners were transported to Pergatory in stasis, so Casey had no idea how long it had taken to get there. All she knew was that when she went to sleep, Garrus had been at her side, pretending to be checking her vital signs on his omni-tool, but actually muttering reassurances under his breath that he would be there when she awoke, and that he would not let anything happen to her. Now she was awake, still wearing the civilian clothing she'd gone to sleep in, and sitting in a room with what seemed to be twenty or so other people. She didn't recognise any of them at first, but then noticed Miranda some distance away, wearing what appeared to be a long red ball gown. They had to look as though they'd been put in stasis immediately upon being captured, and Casey guessed that this looked like a reliable way of backing up Miranda's back story that she was a woman who killed and robbed rich socialites. Miranda caught Casey's eye, but did not give any sign that they knew each other. Casey couldn't see Thane anywhere. Slowly she got to her feet, still feeling slightly shaky from the stasis. The others around her seemed to all be awake, and were climbing unsteadily to their feet too. But Casey saw no sign of Garrus, Samara or Grunt. In fact, there were no guards in this room at all. She felt a slight sinking feeling in her stomach: she was locked inside a room filled with dangerous criminals.

It was cold, and Casey rubbed her hands along her arms to try and warm up.

"I'll keep you warm if you want," came a gruff voice to Casey's left. She turned and saw a Batarian man standing next to her, eying her hungrily. "I'm fine thank you," she replied, then kicked herself for being so polite.

The Batarian grinned, edging closer. Then someone else stepped in front of her, and Casey almost did a backflip in celebration when she realised it was Thane. "I think it's time you left," he said silkily. The Batarian surveyed him for a moment, and then backed away. Casey felt embarrassed, Thane's words, though perfectly polite, conveyed a threat that Casey's could never hope to carry. Thane turned to face Casey, putting his hands on the wall behind her, so that they sat either side of her head. "I do apologise," he whispered, "but that Batarian probably thinks I scared him off so that I could make my own move. Just try to look uncomfortable."

_No problem there, _Casey thought, having never been this close to her Drell squad mate before. It felt like unearned proximity, and she tried not to look into his eyes. It wasn't altogether unpleasant being in such close quarters, she was safe, and Thane smelled like a mixture of spices and grass after a rainstorm. But her thoughts were on Garrus, and how safe she always felt with him by her side.

They didn't have to stay in that position long, as soon enough a fight broke out at the other side of the room, and the guards, who must've been watching on one of the many cameras Casey had soon spotted on the wall, flooded in. They didn't break up the fight however, instead standing on a platform high out of the prisoners reach. Casey watched over Thane's shoulder as one of the guards, clearly someone high level judging by his uniform, made his way over to a small panel of switches. Almost lazily, he flicked one, and it was as if Casey were suddenly encased in warm jelly. She could only just move her hands, swishing around inside the blue goo. She looked around, every other prisoner was in their own field of what looked like blue light, however Casey knew it was the same jelly-like substance she herself was in. She had no idea how she continued to breathe, but was just grateful she could.

"Now that everyone is calm, I can begin." The Turian guard who had pushed the button was speaking calmly, yet loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "My name is Warden Kuril," he continued, "and you have just proved exactly why you're here. Within ten minutes of waking up, you have fought, attempted to rape, and done all manner of unpleasant things to each other. You prisoners are the scum of the galaxy, and that is why they send you to me: you're a disease, and I'm the cure." Silence followed this statement, though Casey felt sure that if everyone weren't encased in the jelly, at least a few convicts may have argued with this closing statement. But with no chance of that, the warden continued uninterrupted. "You're on my ship now, and so you follow my rules. Keep out of my way, don't cause any trouble, and my men will have no reason to put a boot in your skull. Some of you will be assigned a personal guard, some of you will not. All of you will play nice. When your name is called you will be released from your current state, and you will proceed to check in. Enjoy your stay." And with that, Kuril gave a little smirk and left the room, followed by most of his guards, though three stayed on the platform, guns slung over their shoulders.

Casey watched a group of four Turians enter a door on the other side of the room, her heart did a little flutter: one of them was Garrus! Of course, she still couldn't move. She watched as prisoners were called one after another, including Miranda and Thane, but under different names of course.

"Isla Philips." Casey suddenly found herself free. This was her code name, the name Kasumi had used to spread stories of Casey's 'crimes' all across the extranet. Casey walked slowly, but what she hoped was determinedly, towards the check in. A little desk had been set up, with files covering the top. Casey caught Garrus' eye, but he looked through her in an almost bored fashion. She knew this was part of the act, but it still hurt a little. "Isla Philips," repeated one of the Turians, while another scanned her with his omni-tool. "Twenty counts of murder, that have been reported anyway, seventeen counts of theft, twelve counts of arson…" He looked her up and down. "Doesn't really look like one of ours does she?" He asked his colleagues. Casey wondered whether she was meant to say something 'tough' here, like they'd practiced, but before she could, Garrus jumped in. "That's how she gets you," he said confidently. "Looks innocent, helpless, like she couldn't even hold a gun. But believe me, she might be one of the most dangerous criminals you've got here."

Two of the Turians looked mildly impressed, even a little wary, but the third rolled his eyes. "You would say that Vakarian, you're getting paid to guard her." He nodded to the Turian scanning Casey, who nodded in reply. "But regardless, she's here now. Philips you're just in time for dinner. Head to the showers first and get changed into your jumpsuit, then Vakarian will take you down to dinner."

He called another name, and Garrus took Casey forcefully by the arm and led her out of the room.

* * *

They walked through the corridor in silence, before Garrus muttered, "There are cameras everywhere, but they only record visuals, no sound. Are you ok?"

"Yes," Casey replied.

"Still want to do this?"

"Of course," Casey nodded, though her words didn't exactly sound as sincere as she would've liked.

"I can't come with you into the showers-" Garrus began, and Casey felt a grin spread across her face, remembering the last time he had. Garrus caught her eye, and was clearly fighting a similar urge. "Don't smile," he pressed, "you're not meant to be happy to be here."

Casey tried to make her face impassive, which was lucky, because as they rounded the corner they passed another guard. Once he had disappeared, Garrus continued. "Anyway, I can't come in, but it's only women in there so you should be safe. And I'll be waiting outside to escort you to the mess hall. So try not to get in any trouble in between my leaving you, and picking you up."

Casey threw him a wink as he left her at the door. She entered a small room, where a bored looking human woman was sitting at a table. "New?" She asked.

"Yes, my name is-" Casey began.

"I don't care. Just don't cause trouble." The woman growled, passing Casey a towel. "Get undressed in there, leave your clothes in the booth. But the towel on and go into the showers. Leave with the others."

Casey had to interrupt, "My personal guard, he told me to go to dinner with him."

The woman eyed her suspiciously. "Personal guard?" Casey nodded. The woman continued, "Well leave the showers with the others, the guard will be waiting outside." She leaned in closer, "and if I get any clue that you're causing trouble in there, I'll make sure you're showering with the men for the next month."

Casey felt a lump in her throat, but nodded, and made her way to the booth to take off her clothes. Clearly they all took the personal guard thing seriously, she just hoped the prisoners felt the same and left her alone.

Once her clothes were off, Casey wrapped herself in the towel and proceeded to the large shower room. It took her a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the steam, and she saw at least fifty shower heads on each side of the room, with as many women standing beneath them. She could see Humans, Turians, and a few Asari, but no other species so far. Most of the women seemed to be talking and laughing, and Casey was reminded of a high school locker room. No one seemed to notice her, and Casey walked with her head relatively low towards the nearest empty shower. She didn't like how out in the open it was, and especially didn't like all the cameras dotted around the room. Reluctantly she hung up her towel, and turned on the shower, grateful at least that the water was hot. She couldn't see Miranda anywhere, but a few of the other women seemed to have caught sight of her by now. She tried to keep her head down, but eventually felt that there was someone standing behind her. She turned around to find an Asari and two humans, all naked, looking her up and down. The Asari had light purple skin, and delicate red markings around her eyes.

"Umm, hi?" Casey said, wondering what they could possibly want, other than to make her feel as uncomfortable as possible.

"Hello," the Asari replied. "What's your name?"

Casey caught herself before she said her actual name, "Isla," she replied. "Isla Philips."

"The human who was killing all those people on Omega?" The Asari asked, and Casey nodded. "We've been following your progress on the extranet, you did well not to get caught for so long."

"Thanks," Casey replied, not sure what to say, seeing as it was clear she had been caught now.

"The trick is," the Asari said, moving closer, "Not to tell them where the bodies are. Means they always have a reason to keep you alive." She grinned wickedly, and Casey wondered how many people she had killed. "You'll need friends in here," the Asari whispered, moving closer again. Casey gulped, and tried to look like she wasn't terrified. "It doesn't matter how dangerous you were on the outside, in here you're a no one without the right friends." She continued to move closer until she was practically standing on Casey's toes, and though Casey didn't look, she could feel the Asari's breasts against her own. "I can tell you things about this place that will help you," she had her hand on Casey's arm now.

Suddenly there was a loud buzzing sound, and all the showers turned off on their own. The Asari looked mildly annoyed, but then smiled at Casey. "We'll talk about it tomorrow," she whispered, turning away. "I'm Eileena", she said over her shoulder.

* * *

Casey dried off and changed into her new prison jumpsuit quickly, joining the others in line. Outside the prisoners with a personal guard were asked to leave the line, and Casey saw that Eileena was one of those women. There were only eight others, Miranda being one of them. Samara was standing beside her, looking haughty and uninterested. When all the other prisoners had been led away, the high security women and their guards followed.

"Are you ok?" Garrus muttered under his breath.

"I think so," Casey replied.

"Be careful in there, I found out-" but he was cut off as another guard came to escort the women inside. "You wait for her at the table Vakarian," the guard said, pushing Casey roughly towards the others. She joined the line for food, grateful that there were several women between her and Eileena.

"She's got her eye on you." Casey turned to find herself facing the first Salarian woman she'd seen in the prison. "I saw her in the showers," the Salarian continued. "You need to be careful in there."

"Why?" Casey asked, scanning the huge mess hall. It seemed that women and men sat at separate sides, but still ate the same time. Most of the men kept glancing at the women hungrily, but none crossed a red line that ran down the centre of the room.

"They pump hallex into the showers, in gas form," the Salarian replied.

"What?" Casey turned back, not sure she'd heard correctly.

"Only a small amount, just enough to lower inhibitions and make the women feel more…friendly towards each other. Didn't you see the cameras?" Casey nodded. "The guards are watching, if any women put on a good show, they sell the footage to the highest bidder, and those women get favourable treatment for a few days. Eileena knows the score, and she obviously thinks she can do well from you."

Casey felt her stomach drop and muttered her thanks to the Salarian for the warning. This was not what she was expecting. She thought Eileena had been scared of her at first, maybe even seen her as an equal, but she clearly just thought Casey looked weak, and would be easier to manipulate. How would she ever get information from these women if they all saw her as easy bait?

Walking back to the table with her plate of what could only be described as mush, with her mind on Eileena, Casey tripped slightly and stumbled into someone. She held her breath, waiting to see what the reaction would be.

"You do that again you little piece of shit and I'll rip your throat out with a biotic pull so strong not even your mother would recognise the bits of you I decide to wear as a necklace!"

Luckily, it didn't sound quite so scary the second time.


	18. Chapter 18

After the fake confrontation with Miranda, the rest of Casey's meal was relatively uneventful. She finished off the plate of mush without talking to anyone, and was soon escorted to her cell by Garrus.

It looked pretty much how Casey had expected: a small room containing a bed, a sink, and a toilet. There was a camera in the corner of the room, and the whole place was dimly lit with a red light. Exhausted, though in reality she hadn't really done much, Casey climbed into bed fully clothed. Garrus stood with his back to the wall, facing her. She looked at him longingly, but then found her eyes drawn again to the camera.

"It's the same as the others," Garrus began. "Records visual, but no audio."

Casey nodded. "I wish you could sleep next to me."

"Me to," he replied, "but while I'm pretty sure the guards would have no problem with me…uh…having my way with you, seeing me curl up beside you may raise some eyebrows."

Casey smiled, "I'm sure. Do you know how the others are getting on?"

"As far as I could tell the other prisoners are giving both Thane and Miranda a wide birth, and Samara and Grunt fit in just like all the other guards." He looked at Casey, a concerned expression crossing his face. "You should get some sleep. I'll stay here until you drift off, and I'll be back first thing in the morning to take you to breakfast."

Casey nodded, and slid lower under the covers. Before she knew it, the world had slipped away, and she was dreaming of a much more pleasant place.

* * *

Casey woke up to the sound of several people yelling. Garrus was nowhere to be seen, and what with the prison being out in the middle of space, and there being no clock in the room, she had absolutely no idea what time it was. She jumped out of bed and hurried to her door, where there was a small window. Unfortunately she could see nothing except the door directly across from her in the hallway, where the eyes of another inmate looked out of that small window, clearly also attempting to find the source of the noise.

"Get off me!" The yelling was getting louder, and Casey caught a brief glimpse of a man with a shaven head being dragged past her door by three Turian guards. All too quickly they had passed through another door, and Casey couldn't hear him anymore. The eyes of the other inmate were still on her.

"What was that all about?" Casey asked, deciding that she could hardly be shanked in the shower for asking a question.

"No idea," the female voice replied. "Probably got sold. Hard to believe, but there are places worse than here." There was the sound of another door opening, and suddenly the eyes disappeared. Casey followed suit, stepping back from the door. Within moments it had opened, and Garrus was standing in front of her. It was all Casey could do not to throw her arms around him.

Casey found a seat at breakfast next to the Salarian she had spoken to the day before, and as far away from Eileena as possible. The tables filled quickly, and soon the hall was filled with chatter. A few of the women had asked her name, and after a little conversation, Casey decided now was as good a time as any to start asking some questions about Jack. But she needed to tread carefully.

"So, who do you think is the most dangerous prisoner in here?" She asked in what she hoped was a casual tone.

"Why?" Asked the Salarian woman straight away, "looking to anger someone else before you've finished your meal? I was surprised that biotic didn't tear your head off yesterday."

"Just trying to work out who to stay away from," Casey replied quickly.

"Eileena, she's dangerous," a blonde woman said, grimacing as she took another spoonful of her food.

"Yeah, so I've heard," Casey said with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She tried to move the conversation along. "Does everyone eat in here at the same time?"

"Yeah," replied the blonde woman.

"No," the Salarian argued. "Some of the extremely dangerous ones eat in their cells."

Casey's heart sunk.

"Surprised they let you out with your record," a woman with short black hair added. "Though I guess that's why they gave you the guard. How is he?"

Casey wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh…fine?"

The three women looked at each other. "No problems with him?" The blonde asked. Casey shook her head. "Well lucky you," the black haired one sneered. "You must have one of the few guards in here who doesn't like to take advantage of the 'special benefits' that come with guarding the women. Wish I was so lucky, mine barely lets me sleep at all." She nodded her head towards the guard standing next to Garrus, a human man with short brown hair and a lot of tattoos.

"My first guard was a Krogan," the blonde muttered. "Damn near killed me, one of the only times I've seen Kuril really lose it with a guard."

Casey wasn't sure what to say. She noticed for the first time the scars all along the blonde's arms, and looked away. Prisons were meant to keep civilians safe, but not like this: not by subjecting people to the kinds of crimes that could get them locked up in there in the first place. She reminded herself that these women were all dangerous, but it was hard to think that way when they looked just like her, joked with each other, and talked about their children.

* * *

After breakfast, it was work detail. Tedious manual labour involving the creation of various omni-tool parts. Casey spent hours hunched over a small table, with screws the size of her smallest fingernail, trying to slot them into the correct sections. Then after lunch, more of the same. By the time the buzzer sounded, signifying it was time for everyone to hit the showers, Casey was actually happy. Her attempts to find out more about subject zero had been unsuccessful: finding people to actually talk to when she was branded as one of the most dangerous criminals (made obvious by her personal guard) was the first hurdle, and then finding people who actually knew about Jack was another. Casey was so consumed in these thoughts that she was already heading towards a shower cubicle before she realised where she was, and that she actually hated showering here. She looked around, no sign of Eileena yet, but Casey knew that news of Eileena's interest in her had spread: everyone was keeping as far away from her as possible.

Casey sighed and took off her towel, instantly feeling grateful for the hot water as it relieved the tension in her shoulders. She felt the stresses and strains of the day begin to leave her, washing away with the sweat and grime.

"Hello Isla."

Casey turned around rapidly, expecting the worst, but luckily it was Miranda standing in front of her, not the Asari.

"I see you've made quite the impression already," Miranda said with a grin, looking at the empty cubicles on either side of Casey.

"I have that effect on people," Casey replied, trying her best not to blush as Miranda hung up her towel. Unlike Casey, she seemed to have no issues about public nudity, and it was obvious why. Miranda always talked about how she was designed to be perfect, and seeing her now, Casey could certainly agree with that. Her slender body had curves in all the right places, and as Miranda squirted the cheap prison soap onto her skin, Casey couldn't help but wish she was the one rubbing it in. She shook away these thoughts just as quickly. _It's the Hallex, _she thought angrily, _it's making me crazy. We're like Rats in a cage._

"Hear about the Hallex they pump in here?" Miranda asked, as if reading Casey's mind.

"Yeah," Casey replied, ensuring she kept her eyes on Miranda's face and nothing else.

"Not sure it's effecting me as much as the others, maybe because of my alterations. I feel a little relaxed, but nothing too drastic. What about you?"

Casey, who had at that moment in time been daydreaming about massaging shampoo into Miranda's hair to the old song 'Girls just wanna have fun', shook her head vigorously "yeah, no, nothing really happening to me either."

"Hello Isla." Casey turned, and unfortunately for her, this time it was Eileena, accompanied by her two human friends. Though Casey wondered if they actually were friends, or simply other women that Eileena had decided to keep, like pets, at her side.

"Hi Eileena," Casey replied, feeling it would be rude to say nothing at all.

Eileena eyed Miranda up and down, but said nothing, turning quickly back to Casey. "I wanted to continue the conversation we had yesterday, about friendships, and how they can help you in here."

"She's not interested," Miranda said from behind Casey's back.

"Funny," I don't think I asked you, Eileena said coldly, glancing at her for only a second.

"No thanks," Casey breathed, willing herself to sound tougher and more confident than she actually felt. She was aware of more and more women around the room staring at her.

"There can be a lot of benefits, you should really reconsider," Eileena persisted. Miranda stepped in front of Casey. "She said no."

Eileena raised an eyebrow. "You know, it's odd that you're so concerned about her when yesterday you wanted to, what was it?" She put on a high pitched imitation of Miranda's voice, "wear her teeth as a fucking necklace?"

The air around Miranda's body began to ripple with blue light, and Casey knew this was a sign that she was getting angry: her biotics were strong enough to tear Eileena in half, and it was clear that at this moment she wasn't far from using them. When Miranda spoke, however, her voice was calm and balanced. "We agreed yesterday to watch each other's backs, and it's much harder for me to do that if you're on hers." She moved closer again to Eileena. "So back the fuck off."

Eileena grinned, and she too was soon surrounded by flickering blue light. "Careful sweetheart, don't push me. I'd hate to have to scar up your pretty face."

Casey knew this was something serious, both of these women looked like they had powerful biotics on their side, however she couldn't quite get over the fact that everyone involved in this dispute was completely naked. It seemed to take the edge off a little.

Just as Casey was considering putting on a towel, Miranda said something Casey couldn't quite hear, but apparently Eileena did, because at that moment she hit Miranda with a biotic field so strong she was thrown into the wall. She got up angrily, hitting Eileena with a singularity. She struggled free though, and threw another field at Miranda, this time hitting Casey too. Casey found herself flying through the air, and smashing into the tiled wall. She fell to the ground with a thud, splitting her lip. She was dizzy, and watched drunkenly as the blood from her cut flowered in the water by her hands. She was vaguely aware of Miranda and Eileena throwing each other around, and also that most of the women in the room were shouting words of encouragement or otherwise to the women.

Then the showers turned off and a siren began to sound. Guards flooded into the room and began herding the women out, while others separated Miranda and Eileena.

"There's another one!" A guard was standing by Casey now, staring down at her.

"She was fighting too!" One of the women yelled.

"No she wasn't!" Came another voice.

"I saw her punch Eileena!" A third voice added.

"Bullshit!"

"She didn't do anything!"

The guard looked confused. "Get them out of here!" He yelled to the ones restraining Miranda and Eileena, "We'll deal with this later!"

He dragged Casey to her feet. "Vakarian, this the one you're looking for?" Casey saw Garrus about twenty feet away, apparently searching for her. He hurried over, and the guard pushed her towards him roughly. "Get her back to her cell," He guard hissed.

"Yes sir," Garrus replied, in a tone that Casey recognised as the one he adopted just before he shot someone in the face. He picked up a towel and wrapped it around her, before gently leading her towards the door.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"Yes," she whispered, knowing that no matter how much her body ached, it would look far too suspicious for him to carry her gently back to her cell. Even if she wished he would.

* * *

Once inside, Garrus led her to the bed, where she climbed under the sheets gratefully. "What happened?" He asked, and Casey relived the story as quickly as she could. A wave of exhaustion had overpowered her, and her body ached from head to toe. "What do you think will happen to Miranda?" She asked when she got to the end.

Garrus shook his head. "I don't know, they're not very forgiving of that kind of behaviour."

A worrying thought just crossed Casey's mind, "A guard told me that if I caused trouble in the showers I'd be showering with the men for a month…do you think?"

"That won't happen to you," Garrus interrupted. "They'll see on the cameras that you had nothing to do with it."

"But what about Miranda?"

Garrus paused, before answering "I promise, I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

Casey nodded, yawning. "I'm so tired, and I ache all over."

To Casey's surprise, a grin spread over Garrus' face. "Mind if I join you?"

Casey gave him a puzzled expression. He continued, "EDI knocked something together using a bug I planted on the camera when you were asleep last night." Garrus stood directly under the camera, so that it wouldn't be able to film him, and took out what looked like a small data disk. He inserted it into a little slot on the side of the camera. "It sends false information: just a looped video of you sleeping, so now that's all they can see."

"Like that old movie!" Casey exclaimed, but Garrus looked blank. "You know, with the bus? And it has to stay at fifty, otherwise the bomb will go off, but they make a fake video so that the criminal watching the camera will think they're all on the bus, but actually they got off…" She trailed off, Garrus' face was still blank, though a smile spread across it. "I haven't seen it, but it sounds awesome."

He moved closer to Casey, took off his armour and slipped into bed beside her. She felt the exhaustion wash over her again, and lay back against his arm. "Go to sleep," he breathed, "I'll be with you all night."


	19. Chapter 19

Over the next week, Casey fell into a routine on Purgatory. She woke up and went to breakfast, where she tried to bring 'dangerous prisoners' into the conversation as often as possible. She had attempted to sit with different people for the first few days: the idea being to question as many prisoners as possible. However it soon became clear that prisoners in Purgatory weren't too keen on answering questions posed by people they didn't know, and so Casey soon moved back to her original table: with the Salarian: Dahlian, the blonde human: Emily, and the black haired human: Toni.

After breakfast, Casey went to do her work detail: back breaking labour, that required a lot of attention and so didn't leave much time to ask questions. Casey focused, instead, on attempting to listen in on the guards conversations, often seating herself as close to them as possible. After work detail, Casey hit the showers. Miranda was in isolation for a week, but so was Eileena, and so Casey at least didn't have to worry about being propositioned in the showers: the other inmates seemed to be giving her an even wider berth than usual, except for her little group. At the end of the day, Casey returned to her room, where Garrus put the bug on the surveillance cameras which allowed him to climb into bed beside her. Unfortunately, Casey was so exhausted at the end of each day, that it was all she could do to give him a kiss good night before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Casey woke up that morning, however, something was different. She knew Garrus had left in the night: he always did eventually, but he was usually there when she woke up, and this morning he wasn't. She got dressed quickly and waited by her door, unable to know just how late he was due to having no method of telling the time. Eventually she heard the door lock click, and as it swung open she sighed, "I was starting to worry."

But the face that met hers, while Turian, was not Garrus. The strange Turian raised an eyebrow, "well thanks sweetheart, but I'm here now."

Casey felt her heart begin to hammer, "Where's Gar…Vakarian? The guy who usually guards me?"

The Turian still looked a little suspicious, but replied, "Got hurt this morning restraining a prisoner, he's sleeping it off in the hospital wing."

Casey's heart stopped hammering, in fact it felt like it had stopped beating at all. She was desperate to ask how Garrus was, but she knew it would look far too suspicious if she looked like she cared about her guard too much. _He said he was 'sleeping it off', that must mean he's ok, _she thought hopefully. Casey nodded at the Turian, and allowed him to lead her to breakfast.

She was the last one into breakfast, but the group she usually sat with had saved her a seat. She wondered if she should be calling them her 'friends' now, seeing as how they were the only ones who seemed willing to spend time in her company. And she knew their crimes too, although she almost wished she didn't. None of them seemed to have done anything particularly horrible, definitely not worth being amongst criminals like Eileena. The two humans, Emily and Toni had both killed their abusive partners in self-defence, and stolen their money. Unfortunately for them, their husbands had been powerful, with associates powerful enough to ensure the women spent the rest of their lives in the prison. Dahlian, the Salarian, was a master thief, who, like the others, had stolen from the wrong people. It made it worse knowing that these women were not heartless killers, that they all regretted their crimes, because Casey knew that one day soon she would leave this place, and they would have to stay.

"New guard?" Dahlian asked as Casey sat down.

Casey nodded, and Toni and Emily looked over at the Turian. A sudden emotion flooded Toni's face, and the guard, who had glanced over, seemed to hold her gaze for a little too long. Toni broke first, looking down into her breakfast.

"What?" Casey asked, momentarily forgetting the thoughts of Garrus which had been consuming her.

"Nothing," Toni replied gruffly.

But Emily looked stern, "Is that Tiberius?" She asked, and Toni nodded.

"Who?" Casey asked, beginning to feel frustrated as a look of comprehension appeared on Dahlian's face.

"Your new muscle, he used to guard Toni," Emily said.

"And?" Casey asked, already feeling where this might be going.

No one answered for a long time, but finally it was Toni who spoke. "Just, be careful. Most of the guards, they'll take advantage if they get the chance, but him…he's something else. Dangerous, and stupider than a box of hammers. He loves any kind of glory, and he doesn't think about consequences, he just acts. You better hope your guard comes back soon." And with that she got to her feet, allowing her own guard to lead her to work detail.

"He was her first guard," Dahlian explained. "I'm sure what she's saying is true, but you have to understand that he was the first one she experienced, the one who made her realise that this was her new life. She's always going to think he's the worst of them all."

But as Casey glanced over at Tiberius again, noticing his eyes hadn't left her since Toni left, she wasn't sure how much she believed these words of comfort.

* * *

Casey hadn't seen Thane since processing, and so when she saw that he was part of the male group assigned to her area in the work detail, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. True, they were still separated by a red line along the ground, but with Miranda in solitary confinement, and Garrus in the hospital wing, Casey longed for a familiar face. She saw Grunt standing with the other guards along the wall. He looked at her, and gave a subtle wink. Casey knew that was a risk, he was meant to look as though he'd never seen her before, but she felt as though she took that wink and locked it up inside her: it was a sign that there was someone around today who knew who she really was, and wanted her to know they were there. It made her feel good.

Casey took a seat at the table closest to the line, and Thane did the same. When they had begun, Casey hissed, "hi."

He did not reply at first, perhaps checking that the coast was clear, but eventually she heard his silky voice reply in what was barely a whisper: "hello."

"How's it going?" She asked, attempting to keep her eyes on the circuit board she was supposed to be building.

"Well enough, though I have yet to find any solid information regarding Jack's whereabouts."

"Same here."

"Are you well?" He asked.

Casey could not reply at first. She wanted to say yes, that she was fine, but in reality that wasn't how she felt. She was frightened, tired, and so alone. Even with Garrus there at night, the rest of the time he had to act as though he couldn't stand her, and though Casey was used to being lonely, she was not used to being surrounded by those who looked at her with both fear and anger.

"I'm….fine. Tired." She replied, in a voice even she did not believe.

Thane looked up from his work, and Casey did the same. He looked into her eyes and held out his hand across the line. Casey took it, and he squeezed. "You don't have to lie Casey, I feel the same as you, but we are doing something very important, and soon we will be out of here."

Casey smiled, but all too soon she realised that they were being watched. Tiberius and Grunt appeared as if from no-where to separate their hands, and reprimand them for such a blatant disregard for the rules. Thane was taken back to his cell, as was Casey.

She was there for the remainder of the afternoon, and only removed again when it was time for dinner. As they walked to the mess hall, Casey couldn't help but question a regime where the punishment for rule breaking is the day off from work, but she wasn't exactly going to mention this to Tiberius. As they walked along a long corridor, a voice drifted out of Tiberius' omni-tool. "Prisoners fighting in the showers, all available guards report to women's showers immediately." Tiberius looked at Casey, and removed a set of handcuffs from his belt. Before she could register what had happened, he had cuffed both hands behind a pipe. "Stay there," he grinned, before disappearing through a nearby door.

Casey sighed, her stomach rumbling. She looked at the handcuffs, and felt a smile play on her lips. Tiberius certainly lived up to Toni's description. The pipe he had cuffed her to continued upwards for another two feet, and then stopped. If she chose to, Casey would easily be able to lift the cuffs up and off the pipe, thereby freeing herself. But where would she go anyway? She looked around the corridor and sighed. The room opposite was signposted as 'guard office', and she could see from there that the door was open and the room empty. Her stomach sank: there might be some information on Jack in there, and Casey had the perfect opportunity to release herself, slip in, and find it. But if she got caught, she had no idea what might happen, only that the consequences would surely be much more severe than missing a day of work.

She groaned, knowing that if the roles were reversed, and any other member of the Normandy crew were here, they would have already been halfway towards the office. Without allowing herself another moment to talk herself out of it, Casey slipped the handcuffs up and over the pipe. She now had both hands in the cuffs, but was free to move around. As quietly as she could manage, Casey tiptoed along the hall and through the open door into the office. As she thought, it was empty, and she glanced around for any clue as to where she could find Jack's location. One wall was covered with monitors, each showing the inside of a cell from this block. Casey's eyes flicked over them, not really paying attention, before noticing that only one of them was occupied. She moved closer, Miranda! She was pacing in a small cell that looked even barer than Casey's own. She also looked thin and dirty. Underneath the screen there were two buttons, one labelled 'alarm' and another labelled 'intercom'. Knowing she didn't have much time, but unwilling to ignore the slightly frantic way Miranda moved, Casey pressed the intercom button. "Miranda?"

Miranda looked up, her voice came out of the speakers next to her screen. "Casey?"

"I'm in one of the guard offices, looking for information on Jack."

Miranda looked impressed, "you've got some guts, they threw me in here for starting a fight, can you imagine what they'd do to you if they found you?"

Casey rolled her eyes, "Yeah thanks Miranda, I hadn't considered that."

"Well stop talking to me and get looking then!"

Casey released the button and moved around the office, there were no filing cabinets or anything so primitive, just surveillance screens and computers. Casey turned one computer on, it wanted a password. There was no way she'd have enough time to guess it, and she kicked herself for never accepting Kasumi's offers of teaching her how to hack. She glanced around the room looking for some kind of inspiration. And there it was, on the noticeboard above her head, a small scrap of paper with the words "Password this week: Blasto123". Casey hurriedly typed the password into the computer, and the screen came to life. As quickly as she could, aware that Miranda was now pacing even more rapidly in her cell, Casey scanned the different folders for something that looked right. She found it, "prisoner information."

She had just clicked on the icon when she heard a voice over her shoulder. "Who the hell are you?"

Casey turned slowly, two guards, a Turian and a Batarian were staring at her, looks of both confusion and anger on their faces. Casey stood up, and they both raised their guns. At that moment Tiberius appeared at the door.

"This one's yours, isn't she?" The Turian asked Tiberius.

"Yes," Tiberius replied through gritted teeth.

"You want to keep a closer eye on her, anyone else finding her would've kicked you off this station faster than you can say 'not my fault'" the Batarian growled. Tiberius nodded, grabbing Casey by the arm and dragging her out of the room.

* * *

Tiberius practically threw Casey back into her cell, where she stood with her back to the bed, facing him. He slammed the door and paced angrily. She didn't know whether speaking would make it better or worse, so she kept her mouth shut.

"So….so…." Tiberius was muttering, and she wasn't sure at first whether he was actually talking to her or not. "Thought you'd make me look stupid did you? Thought you'd give everyone a good laugh?"

Again, Casey thought it best not to reply, especially when her answers would've been less than polite. But Tiberius seemed to want some kind of response, as he moved even closer. "What were you doing, hmm? Looking for your precious boyfriend?"

_What? _Casey began to panic, did they know about her and Garrus? Had the bug on the cameras not worked? Was Garrus in danger right now? Tiberius continued. "I'm right aren't I? You were trying to find out what cell the Drell's being kept in? What was the plan? To slip away from me and pay him a visit?"

"I wouldn't need to slip away, I'd just wait until you tied me up 'securely' again." The words were out of Casey's mouth before she even realised she'd said them. She was so relieved that he didn't know about her and Garrus that she'd let her guard down. Tiberius surveyed her for a moment, looking incredulous, but then a sly grin played on his lips.

Casey hadn't realised he'd struck her until she had fallen back onto the floor. The force of his strike had split her only recently healed lip, and she lay on the floor wondering again, how often this was going to happen to her before she learned to duck.

Tiberius' hands were on her arms, and he lifted her onto a sitting position on her bed.

"Let me make this very clear," he growled. "You don't get to be smart mouthed. You don't get to make little sarcastic comments, in fact, you don't even speak unless I give you permission. Do you understand?" Something in his voice made Casey bite back another clever retort, and simply nod.

Tiberius nodded too. "Good, glad we understand each other. From now on you speak when I say, move when I say, and…well…just do exactly what I say. Are we clear?"

Casey nodded again. Tiberius grinned. "Why don't we put this new little rule to the test right now?" He unbuckled his belt and slipped it off, holding it in his hand. It had a heavy silver buckle, and Casey thought she could see brownish red marks flecked across the surface. She wondered if he was planning to hit her with it. But when he slipped his hand inside his pants, she realised exactly what it was he was planning to do. He unbuttoned and revealed himself to Casey. He was smaller than Garrus, and she clung to this thought as a way of trying to look calm. She wouldn't let him see her fear. He was growing harder, and she noticed that his ridges, unlike Garrus' looked much more jagged, like a serrated knife.

"Touch it," Tiberius hissed.

Casey looked up at the camera on the wall.

"Don't fool yourself, no one will come to help you. You're a criminal, remember?" He moved closer, "touch it," he hissed again.

Casey looked at his face, hatred filling her eyes. Her mind was racing, and Tiberius must've sensed that she was planning something, because before she could hold up her hands to defend herself, the belt buckle had whipped across her face. She felt a gash open up on her forehead, and a small trickle of blood ran into her eye. "I won't ask again," he growled.

Casey slowly reached out with her still handcuffed hands, but instead of doing as he asked, she used this opportunity to grab the belt. She hit him with it as hard as she could, and then ran behind him, holding the handcuffs behind his neck and tightening her grip. She was mildly aware of the sound of a siren, but was more focused on trying to restrain Tiberius, who was putting up a fight. Suddenly a group of guards flooded into the room, and pulled her off him roughly. She was pushed from one guard to another, until finally one held her tightly. She looked up, it was Garrus!

"What the hell happened here?" Garrus asked Tiberius, who was bending over to catch his breath.

"Her," Tiberius choked. "Was trying to teach her a lesson. Attacked me." He gagged a little, rubbing his throat.

"You don't get to teach my prisoner a lesson!" Garrus yelled. "You know how dangerous she is, only I have the authority to deal with her. Get out!" The other guards looked at each other for a moment, before leaving, slamming the door behind them. Garrus turned to Casey, "what did he do?"

"You didn't see?" Casey asked, nodding to the camera.

Garrus shook his head, "I was leaving the hospital wing when I heard the alert. I ran here as fast as I could."

Casey felt a weight lift, she knew Garrus would never have just stood by while Tiberius did what he did. "He hit me," she began, and watched as Garrus' eyes surveyed the wounds. "Because I wouldn't….he wanted me to…" she trailed off, but it was enough. A fire seemed to light in Garrus' eyes, and he let out a roar. "He what?! That's it, I'm getting you out of here, and I'm going to make him pay." He turned to leave, but Casey shouted after him.

"You can't!" He turned back, and she continued more quietly. "We're so close, we can't leave now. I know where they keep the records, maybe you can get in there tomorrow. Then it'll be over and we'll have Jack."

Garrus didn't look too sure.

"But for now, you have to make it look believable," Casey continued. Garrus looked up, a wary expression crossing his face. "What do you mean?"

"What would they expect you to do if you found a prisoner strangling a guard?" Casey replied. She didn't need to say anymore, Garrus was already shaking his head.

"No."

"They're watching us right now," Casey whispered, not needing to point to the camera. "If they don't see you do something they'll know something's not right."

"Casey, I can't hurt you." Garrus looked torn, but broken. She knew he'd never choose to hurt her, but she also knew that he understood the importance of their mission.

"Just do it quickly, then it's over with," she said, moving closer and pushing him in the chest in what she hoped would look to the cameras like an aggressive move. She saw Garrus take a deep breath, before he struck her neatly across the face. She could tell he was holding back, but it still knocked her to the floor. Garrus ran over, "are you ok?" He asked.

"Keep going," Casey hissed. And so he began to kick her, or at least, that's how Casey imagined it looked to the cameras. In reality he stopped his foot just before her body, instead giving the bed a good beating instead. This must've gone on for around ten minutes, but eventually a voice filled the room. It was warden Kuril. "That's enough Vakarian, I think she's got the message."

* * *

Garrus helped Casey to her feet. He brought her to the bed, and laid her on it, before moving to the camera. Casey heard him plant the bug, and within seconds he was by her side, looking at her face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, taking a cloth and dabbing at the blood from Tiberius' attack.

"Don't be, you only gave me a little bruise," she replied.

"I tried to hold back as much as I could without making it look fake," Garrus added, and Casey nodded. "I know, you hit like a girl."

Garrus let out a little laugh, and pulled Casey into his arms. "You're the bravest person I know."

"Now that's just a lie," she replied with a smile.

"You're _one _of the bravest people I know." Garrus corrected, smiling too. He un-cuffed her using a key from his belt, and threw the handcuffs to the other side of the room.

"I can accept that." She looked up at his face, her Garrus, and felt something uncontrollable wash over her. Reaching up she placed her hand behind his neck and pulled him closer to her, kissing him harder and more passionately than she thought she'd ever done. He returned the kiss, but when she ran her hand down his chest and between his legs he pulled away.

"Casey, are you sure you want to-"

"Garrus, Tiberius wanted to have me, he wanted to make me his." She watched as that familiar alpha male look flickered on Garrus' face and continued. "I don't want to be his, I want to be yours, and I want to be yours right now." His eyes were burning again, but Casey continued to poke the sleeping dragon. "You're the only Turian I want, and I want you to show me how strong you really are."

That did it, Garrus flipped Casey onto her back, and ripped the clothes from her body. He ran his tongue along her skin, nipping at her flesh as he did. He slipped her underwear off, and positioned his face between her legs. Casey held her breath, she'd never done this with Garrus before, she didn't even know if Garrus knew about it, oral sex not being something Turians engaged in.

But apparently he'd done some research. He ran his tongue along her entrance hungrily, dipping in and out of her with a tongue that was longer and more agile than any human she'd ever been with. He circled her clitoris powerfully and roughly, and she knew this was as much for him as it was for her: he was dominating her, tasting her, owning her. She felt herself climax again and again, and he didn't stop, even when she felt she couldn't take it anymore and tried to push him away. Eventually he backed off, licking his lips and grinning. She kneeled in front of him, helping him peel off his clothes until he was there, rock hard, in front of her. She took him in her mouth immediately, and he placed his hands on the back of her head, moving her as he wanted. She knew she'd done it this time, she'd told him to take control, to make her his, and that's exactly what he was doing.

She loved it. He let out a little groan, and pulled himself out of her mouth. Without saying anything he turned her over so that she was on all fours, and immediately pushed himself inside her. It was a shock at first, and even hurt a little, but the pain soon gave way to that wonderful feeling of being completely full up that Casey had become so addicted to. He fucked her harder than she could ever remember him doing, biting her neck and shoulders as he did so. Every now and then he let out a little growl, as though actively warding off any other men.

Then he knelt on the bed, and pulled her into his lap, still facing away from him. He put his hands under her arms and moved her up and down. She felt weak from the pleasure that kept washing over her, and let him control her like a puppet.

And just when she felt like she couldn't handle it anymore, he emptied himself inside her, as Casey's final climax weakened her so much that she crumpled against Garrus' muscular body. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, his chin resting on her shoulders.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you again," he whispered.

"I know," Casey breathed. And she believed him.

"You are mine," Garrus growled.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys, just wanted to say thank you again for all your lovely comments and reviews, it really makes my day to hear from you! While I'm not done with Casey and Garrus just yet, their story will be drawing to a close relatively soon, and I hope you like the next few chapters, as we start to build up to the finale! I've already got another story idea forming, however, so I hope you can stick with me through that too. **

**But as I say, we're not done with these guys just yet, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter :)**

**Mel**

* * *

When Casey woke up the following morning, she wondered for a moment why every bone in her body seemed to ache. At first, Tiberius' face flashed across her mind, and memories of how her skin felt when he struck her with his belt flooded back. But then she remembered Garrus, and that it was in fact him that had made her feel like this, and as visions of last night appeared before her eyes, she couldn't help but grin.

"You shouldn't smile," said Garrus from the other side of the room, as Casey struggled into a sitting position. "You're meant to look like I beat you black and blue last night."

"Well, in a way…" Casey murmured, attempting to spread a nonchalant look on her face.

Garrus looked concerned, "Did I hurt you?"

"A little," Casey replied, "But I enjoyed it."

It was now Garrus' turn to attempt to hide his smile. "I've got some good news for you," he continued after a moment. "Just don't look like I'm telling you anything important, ok?"

Casey nodded, and began to get dressed, but her heart was racing.

"Purgatory have agreed to sell Jack to Shepard."

Casey couldn't help but stop what she was doing and turn to face Garrus, whose raised eyebrows reminded her to try and look casual. "How? Why did they finally agree?" She asked.

"Last night, I managed to send the Normandy some footage of the kind of stuff that goes on here, and Cerberus has used it to negotiate a deal: they promised to keep it to themselves if Purgatory agree to sell Jack."

Casey thought for a moment. "I didn't think people would really care if they found out prisoners were getting abused here…I mean, that's why they get sent to this place, right?"

"Unofficially, yes, but this footage getting out could cause a lot of hassle for the prison. There are enough people already petitioning to have this place shut down, and the Blue Suns don't need any more bad press right now."

"So...when's the deal happening?"

"Today," Garrus replied. "We just need to keep up the charade until it's done, then Shepard tells them he wants to buy a few more prisoners: Kuril's not going to turn down the extra credits he'd get for you, Miranda and Thane."

Casey nodded, though clearly unable to hide her disappointment at having to go through another day, because Garrus added. "We'll be back home soon enough, and then I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

Casey grinned, and Garrus led her to the door. "I mean it, even if it means tying you to your bed." He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Actually, I may just do that anyway."

* * *

Breakfast was the same as it always was, although there was a certain tension in the air. At first Casey thought she was imagining it, but then the rumour reached her table that the legendary Commander Shepard was coming to Purgatory to buy some prisoners. "That didn't take long," Miranda muttered as she took a seat next to Casey, who positively beamed at the sight of her. Miranda looked thin and tired, but otherwise none the worse for her time in solitary. Casey could hardly believe that she'd once wished for Miranda to get sucked out of her cabin window and into space: right now she felt like her best friend in the world.

"You look like shit," Miranda said, her eyes resting on Casey's split lip and the cut above her eye.

"Not all of us have had it easy like you," Casey quipped, "Good vacation?"

"Oh yeah," Miranda replied with a grin. "I mean, food wasn't up to much, but then it never is. It was just nice to get some me-time."

Casey smiled, but then said in a much quieter voice, "I didn't get a chance to say, thanks for looking out for me."

Miranda shrugged, "we're friends."

Casey felt her chest swell a little, but tried to look like she had known about their friendship all along, turning back to the bowl of mush in front of her.

Miranda and Casey managed to sit together during work detail, with Thane only a few tables away from the line on the floor. Casey looked at the guards, all of whom looked tense. She supposed having the great Commander Shepard, who had had several run ins with their gang, aboard the ship was making them nervous. She watched Samara, Grunt, and Garrus huddled together at the far end of the room. Grunt seemed to be talking animatedly about something, which was causing Garrus and Samara to look around anxiously, but before Casey could consider the implications of this, an alarm sounded. The lights flashed on and off, and a voice came over the speakers urging all guards to escort prisoners back to their cells immediately. Though this was soon drowned out by a loud crash, and the sound of metal bending and breaking. Casey caught sight of what looked like a woman before she was thrown backwards by a powerful biotic throw.

* * *

When Casey came around she found herself on the other side of the room, surrounded by chaos. There were two giant holes in either side of the room, leading into two different corridors. Prisoners were running through either one of these, fighting guards, or still unconscious on the floor. An automated voice was now coming out of the speakers on the wall, naming those cell blocks which had been breached.

Casey climbed slowly to her feet. Other than the soreness she'd woken up with, she felt perfectly fine. She couldn't see Garrus or anyone else she knew anywhere, but the number of prisoners in the room was shrinking, and at this rate it wouldn't take long before she was rounded up by one of the guards. Casey decided then and there that she'd had quite enough of Purgatory, and now was the time to leave. She made her way towards one of the holes in the walls. She guessed that the woman she'd seen had been Jack, and that she'd blown through the walls in an attempt to get out. But where would she go? And why wasn't Shepard with her?

As Casey ran for the gap she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. She turned, but it wasn't a guard who was holding her, it was a Batarian prisoner. "Come with me, I'll keep you safe," he hissed. But Casey knew from the way he gripped her shoulder and the hungry look in his eyes that the last thing on his mind was her safety. She tried to struggle free, but he held on, his fingertips digging into her skin.

But then he wasn't there anymore, thrown back by a biotic throw. Casey turned, Miranda stood behind her, a small gash on her forehead, but otherwise fine.

"I hate Batarians," she muttered. "Come on." She ran towards the hole in the wall, and Casey followed closely behind.

They ran along the corridors, unimpeded by other prisoners or guards, who all seemed to be following their own agenda. "Someone's opened all the cells," Miranda said as they ran. "The ones along here are extra high security, they don't leave for work detail." Casey nodded, all the cell doors were open, the prisoners long gone.

"Where should we go?" Casey panted, already getting a pain in her side from the running.

"Follow Jack's path," Miranda replied. She hardly seemed to have broken a sweat. "Shepard will follow Jack, and that's our best chance of finding him and getting off this shithole."

"What about the others? Garrus, Thane-"

"If they've got any sense they'll be doing the same thing."

Casey nodded, now too out of breath to reply. She knew Miranda was right, and besides, the others were all much more capable of looking after themselves than she was. As long as she was still moving, they had to be!

* * *

Miranda rounded the next corner before Casey, but suddenly came back, stopping Casey in her tracks. "No," she hissed, gesturing to the corner. Casey peered around, noticing a large group of guards, who seemed to be rounding up any prisoner who ran into their path with some of those blue jelly-like beams of light which had held Casey when she first arrived. "They don't have Jack," Miranda whispered. "But there's no way we're getting past them."

Casey looked around anxiously for a way out. "What about over there?" She asked, pointing to another guard office. "There might be weapons, or even another door."

Miranda nodded, and the two of them headed for the office, ignoring the prisoners running past them towards the waiting guards. Miranda opened the door first, then nodded, and Casey followed her inside. They closed the door behind them. "Fuck, no weapons," Miranda groaned, pointing to the empty gun cabinet.

"And no door out either," Casey sighed. The room was small and similar to the last guard office she had been in, just monitors and computers. Miranda moved closer to the monitors, "Can you see Jack?" Casey asked.

"Hang on," Miranda replied, peering at each of the screens in turn.

"Don't move." The gruff voice was behind Casey's ear, and she felt something solid pressing against the back of her head. Miranda turned around, and Casey watched as her biotics made the air around her ripple with blue light.

"I wouldn't do that," the voice continued. "One move and I'll blow her pretty head right off."

Miranda controlled herself, and the light disappeared.

"Good choice," replied the voice that Casey now realised was all too familiar. She attempted to turn her head, but the gun pressed harder against it. "No need to turn around," Tiberius growled. "You know who I am."

Casey's heart was racing, but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened. "Hi Tiberius," she said casually. "How's your neck?"

She could practically hear him grinding his teeth in anger, and though it made her feel good, the look of panic on Miranda's face reminded her of the very real danger she was in.

"You know," Tiberius began, his voice catching as he clearly tried to control his anger. "I'm going to enjoy blowing your head off. Little whores like you always get what's coming to them."

Casey felt her own face flood red with anger, and couldn't help herself. "I don't blame you, shooting me is the only kind of blow you're going to experience with a dick like yours."

She knew she'd done it then. She felt Tiberius shake with anger.

Then there was a gunshot.

Blood spattered the walls.

But it wasn't Casey's blood. She turned around. Garrus stood behind her, lowering his gun. Tiberius was on the floor. A single shot to the back of his head is what sprayed the walls, and Casey, in blood.

"A trash talker now, are we?" Garrus asked, raising an eyebrow. Casey couldn't figure out if he was annoyed or impressed, all she knew was that he had saved her again. She ran forwards, flinging her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, breathing into her neck. "I didn't know where you were, it was all so crazy," he whispered.

"It's ok, I'm ok," she replied.

Then Casey remembered that they were not alone, and so it seemed, did Garrus, because they quickly separated, and when Garrus next spoke, his voice sounded oddly formal. "It's not safe out there, guards are rounding up prisoners in this sector, but the others are still a free for all. The guards are on edge, they don't seem to know who's a prisoner and who's a guard: they almost tossed me into a cell."

"What should we do?" Casey asked.

"We need to get you off this block, and we need to find Shepard, I'm worried. Apparently Kuril tried to trap Shepard in a cell: some plan to sell him off to Batarians. He got out, and freed Jack and the others, that's what started the riot, but that's all I know."

Casey looked at Miranda, who seemed to be surveying the two of them closely, before finally nodding. "Ok, the plan is to follow Jack's path, Shepard won't be far off. In any case, Jack will be heading for the docking level, probably planning to hijack a ship."

"Let's not let that ship be the Normandy," Garrus added.

Casey, who had been glancing around the room for some inspiration, suddenly found it. "The vent!" She cried, running for the ventilation grate on the wall. "We can crawl through it to get off this level, and then climb out somewhere safer."

Miranda and Garrus joined Casey, and they'd soon managed to pry the grate off the wall. Miranda climbed inside, followed by Casey. Garrus made to follow, when there was a noise outside the room.

"Check every inch of this level, those prisoners will hide anywhere to avoid being caught."

Garrus caught Casey's eye, and she knew what he was going to do. He moved back into the room and secured the grate back onto the wall, just in time. Three guards burst in. "Anything in here Vakarian?"

"No sir," Garrus replied.

"Ok, spread out, Shepard is the priority."

Miranda tugged Casey's arm. "Come on," she breathed. "He can look for Shepard, and we'll find the Normandy. He's safe on this ship, we're not."

Casey watched as Garrus followed the guards out, throwing a quick glance at the grate and nodding, before leaving the room. Casey sighed, following Miranda through the cold ventilation shaft.

* * *

They crawled in silence for a long time, before Miranda finally spoke. "So…you and Garrus?"

"I…what?"

"Oh come on Casey, we both know you're a terrible liar. I admit, I thought I noticed something a while ago, but wrote it off as my imagination. How long has it been going on for?"

"We…I don't think…." But Casey gave up, she was too exhausted to argue. "Just, don't tell anyone," Casey whispered.

Miranda turned back and smiled, "of course."

"So where do you think we are?" Casey asked, eager to change the subject.

"Just above the emergency evacuation pods," came a silky voice from the shadowy tunnel to their left. Thane's face came into view. "Hello ladies, I trust you are well?"

Casey smiled, but Miranda sighed, "Christ Krios, always so polite. It's all gone to shit in case you didn't notice."

Thane's expression didn't falter. "I did, but I find an air of civility doesn't hurt."

Casey thought she saw a smile cross Miranda's face, but it could've been a trick of the light.

"I feel it would be a good idea to climb out here," Thane continued. "The Normandy is not far, and I believe we may have beaten Jack here." He kicked the nearest grate out, and jumped to the floor below. Miranda followed, and then Casey, the only one to stumble as she landed. The three of them walked quietly past the escape pods. "There are no prisoners here," Casey noted.

"The corridors are still frantic, the guards are nowhere near rounding everyone up yet, but they've set up perimeters to stop prisoners getting this far," Thane replied.

Casey noticed movement up ahead, and three guards came into view. Thane pulled her and Miranda behind a pile of crates so quickly that she could've sworn they'd teleported there.

"What should we do?" Miranda asked, watching the guards prepping an escape pod.

"Leave it to me," Thane replied, slipping out of sight. Casey turned back to the guards. They looked scruffy: their uniforms didn't seem to fit properly, and they moved nervously around. Then one of them turned and Casey caught sight of her face. It was the Salarian, Dahlian! She looked at the other guards, definitely Emily and Toni. They'd obviously stolen guard uniforms in an attempt to escape. Then Casey's stomach dropped, she caught sight of Thane sneaking closer to the group.

"Wait!" She yelled, jumping up. She saw Thane pause, and slip back into the shadows.

The women turned, all pointing their guns at Casey. "Isla?" Dahlian breathed, lowering her gun. "We thought you were a guard, quickly, come here!"

Casey moved closer, and the other women lowered their guns too, all looking relieved to see her. "How did you get those?" Casey asked.

"Found them, Jack took out a bunch of guards on her way through," Toni replied. "We figured we could use them to get out safely."

"Ok it's ready," Emily said, typing something into the control panel of the pod. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"I can't," Casey whispered. "I have to stay."

"Don't be stupid Isla," Toni shook her head and took Casey's hand. "I know it's scary, but we can't stay here. None of us belong here, and we know you well enough to know you don't either, you're a good person, I can tell." Emily and Dahlian nodded. "So come on, we'll look after each other."

Casey felt her eyes water slightly, and she blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry…my name isn't Isla. I've lied to you."

The women looked confused, but Toni still held onto her hand. "My name is Casey," she continued.

"Casey?" Dahlian asked.

"Casey!" Casey turned, Garrus was moving towards the group, his gun raised. "Let her go!" He growled at the women, who now all pointed their guns at him. Toni dropped her grip on Casey, her eyes moving from her to Garrus, and back.

"Back off guard!" Toni yelled. "Whatever her name is, she's our friend, she's not going anywhere with you."

Casey saw Emily raise her gun, taking aim at Garrus, and she quickly grabbed hold of it. Emily wasn't expecting this, and Casey took the weapon easily.

"What?...You're with them?" Emily asked, understanding spreading across her face. Toni and Dahilan looked shocked.

"Yes…" Casey replied. "I'm undercover, I'm part of Commander Shepard's crew. I came here to find Jack."

"What do you want with Jack?" Dahlian asked, curiosity clearly overcoming all other emotions.

"We want her to help us fight the Collectors."

None of the women said anything for a few moments. Then Toni moved forwards. "If you're with Shepard, then you're not with the guards?"

"No," Casey replied, shaking her head. She turned to Garrus. "Put down your gun." He did, though looking wary.

Toni continued. "We're getting out of here Casey. If you're not coming with us, then I understand. But I won't let you stop us."

Casey shook her head again. "We won't." She handed the gun back to Emily. "Go, now, get far away as quickly as you can."

Toni nodded, then leaned forwards, wrapping her arms around Casey. "Good luck…Casey."

"You too."

The women climbed into the escape pod, and were soon gone.

"They were criminals," Garrus muttered. "You sure that was a good idea?"

"Yes," Casey replied. And she was.

* * *

They reached the ship a few minutes later, and Garrus ensured that Miranda and Casey were immediately on board, despite both of them arguing that they were perfectly able to keep watch outside. Their arguments, however, were relatively pointless, as moments later the remaining crew members arrived, including Shepard and Jack. Jack merely glanced at the crew before disappearing to the lower decks, and as Garrus led Miranda, Casey, and Thane to the med lab to get checked over, Casey couldn't help but wonder whether it had really been worth it.


	21. Chapter 21

Casey was surprised at just how easily she slipped back into life aboard the Normandy, though there were a couple of changes to her routine that she had been less than happy with. She had been given the all clear by Dr Chakwas after a couple of hours, and was now experiencing what everyone called "some well-deserved rest" in her cabin. Unfortunately, rest was the last thing Casey felt like she needed, as was being shut away in her room for the last five days, which was beginning to feel more and more like a cell. She had also missed out on the last couple of missions due once again to this "well-deserved rest". Casey was pretty sure the only person who should decide whether she needed rest was..well…Casey! But unluckily for her, her boyfriend seemed to disagree, and kept 'dropping in', supposedly to see how she was doing, but she knew he was really just checking to see she was still where she was meant to be.

Not that these flying visits were all bad, in fact, if Casey had to name her favourite thing about being back aboard the Normandy, it would be the night-time visits from Garrus. Her favourites were when he slipped into her bed while she was asleep and woke her up in his own unique way…

"Casey?"

Casey jumped, as though Kasumi could see right into her mind. If she could, the things Casey was remembering were surely enough to make even the ever-cool Kasumi Goto blush.

Luckily, she couldn't see her thoughts, and so Casey composed herself quickly as Kasumi dropped onto her bed beside her. "Enjoying solitary?" Kasumi joked, thumbing through the pile of magazines at the foot of the bed.

"That's what it feels like," Casey sighed, leaning back on the pillow. "I swear, I can't even go to get a glass of water without someone steering me back to the room."

"That must be a pain," Kasumi said rather absent-mindedly as she flicked through an Asari fashion magazine. "Do you think this head dress would look good on someone without those tentacle things?"

But Casey wasn't going to drop the subject that quickly, eager to get all her agitation out of her system. "It's driving me crazy, Kasumi! Mordin keeps offering me sleeping pills to help me "get a proper night's sleep" because apparently I have bags under my eyes-"

"Yeah, he asked me to slip this into your water," Kasumi replied, eyes still on the magazine, but holding a pill up for Casey to see. She put it back into her pocket, "Next time you see him, act like you've slept really well."

Casey rolled her eyes and continued: "Grunt keeps subtly asking what my favourite type of meat is….I think he wants to get me a present?"

"Yeah, he asked me how he could get a live Chicken on board the Normandy. Don't worry I talked him out of it."

"And Garrus keeps turning up, just to check I'm still in my cell-"

"P-lease Casey, we both know that's not the only reason he's coming in here."

Casey felt her cheeks reddening, she'd half forgotten that Kasumi knew about her and Garrus.

"How are things with you two?" Kasumi asked, finally putting the magazine down and giving Casey her full attention. Casey couldn't help but grin, "Good. Really good actually."

Kasumi smiled. "Glad to hear it. I'm starting to wonder if I should go for a Turian if I ever get bored of a holographic boyfriend."

"What about Jacob? I thought you had a thing for him?"

Kasumi groaned, "I'd have better luck with Mordin."

"You have. Or have you forgotten the party?" Casey asked wickedly.

Kasumi gasped, "Remember, we promised to never talk about that!" Then she let out a little laugh, "Anyway, speaking of parties in which all inhibitions are dropped and bad choices are made…we're having one tonight."

"Why?"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Uh…because it's your birthday?"

Casey checked the date on her Omni-tool, it was her birthday! "I forgot!"

"Clearly," Kasumi replied. "But luckily, we didn't. And that's the reason you've been kept in your 'cell' for today. We knew you were fine two days ago, but it was simpler to keep you in here so you didn't question it today."

"Thanks a lot," Casey replied sarcastically, but she wasn't really mad. Her friends had been planning something for her birthday all along? She never celebrated birthdays, but something already told her today would be special.

* * *

Kasumi had left Casey with a brand new dress ("happy birthday, I promise I didn't steal this one"), and told her she could come out in one hour. Casey had spent the best part of that hour getting ready. She slipped into the beautiful red dress and tried to tidy her mess of curls. She was just finishing applying a little make up when the door to her room opened. Garrus stood there looking just as charmingly awkward as he usually did, and holding a small box. "Hi," Casey said, looking at him through the mirror as she fixed her earrings.

"Happy birthday," he murmured.

"You ok?" Casey asked, turning around. Garrus looked more than just awkward or nervous, there was another emotion on his face. But then just like that, it disappeared and he smiled. "I was just thinking how beautiful you are, and how lucky I am."

Casey looked at the ground, a smile spreading across her lips. "You're not too shabby yourself."

Garrus grinned again, and walked over to take her hand. "I got this for you, it's not much, but I thought, well I wanted you to have something special….something that really meant…something." He looked a little flustered, clearly unsure how to word whatever it was he was trying to say, so Casey decided to put him out of his misery as quickly as possible: taking the box and opening it. It was empty inside, except for a small piece of paper, which had some markings on it she couldn't decipher. She looked up at Garrus expectantly.

"It's Turian script, our oldest language. Roughly translated it says… "My heart belongs to you.""

Casey felt her eyes water, and she moved closer to Garrus, but he stepped back. "That's not it, it's just the best way I could think to explain what this means." He pulled aside the shirt he wore, to reveal the lower part of his neck. On it was a marking Casey had never seen before, a streak of blue which curled at the edges. "It's a tattoo," Garrus explained. "Turian's get them on their faces usually, it denotes our clan, and soldiers get them elsewhere for other reasons. This is one of the most important though, we get them to show others that we… I don't know how to explain it to a non-Turian….that's why I gave you the note…it basically shows that I've given my heart to someone…that I have a mate who I'll lay down my life for…that I have a purpose….does that make sense?"

Casey felt like her legs might give way. Was Garrus really telling her what she thought he was telling her? It was all she could do to nod and throw her arms around his neck (narrowly avoiding the tattoo). Garrus seemed happy enough with this response, because he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close to him as he could get.

"You guys are so lucky I'm the one who came to get you."

Casey and Garrus sprang apart, but it was only Kasumi.

"I don't know," Garrus began, sounding a little irked, "Others would've probably knocked."

Kasumi just smiled, "Always the charmer, Vakarian." She turned to Casey, "Come on, everyone's waiting!"

She turned and headed out, and Casey made to follow, but Garrus pulled her back. "Promise me we can finish this later?"

Casey smiled, "I promise. I doubt this will go on too long anyway, I'm not usually much of a partier."

* * *

When Casey woke up the next morning, she wasn't exactly where she expected to be. In fact, it took her a long time to realise exactly where she was, and that was curled up on the floor of Grunt's tank: the one he had been grown in. She had no idea where Grunt was, or how she'd got there, all she knew was that her brain felt like it was fighting to escape her skull, and that she may have been more of a 'partier' than she had originally anticipated.

Casey climbed wobbly to her feet when a memory from the party came rushing back.

"_I want to play with it first!" Kasumi yelled, climbing into Grunt's tank._

"_I'll be Shepard!" Miranda giggled, moving over to the controls and pretending to push the buttons._

"_Roar! I am the perfect Krogan baby, fear me!" Kasumi yelled, charging out of the tank and throwing herself onto Miranda, causing them both to fall onto the floor in fits of laughter. _

"_My turn!" Casey had cried, crawling into the tank on all fours. _

"Why was I crawling?" Casey thought out loud, but the memory continued.

"_Ok I'll be Shepard now!" Said Kasumi, but Casey had lost interest, and was thinking instead how cool the glass of the tank felt against her skin. She had the urge to take all her clothes off, but she wondered fleetingly what Grunt would say when he came back…wait…did Grunt sleep in here? No…so he wouldn't mind if she did…_

Casey lurched a little into a nearby table, and struggled to keep herself upright. Well, that explained how she'd ended up in the tank, but she was alone in here, where were the others? Garrus must be somewhere, and he must be in a worse state than she was, otherwise he would've carried her up to bed. She could ask EDI, but the thought of the AI's voice blaring out was not something she felt up to right now, and so instead she stumbled towards the elevator, intent on finding the Turian on her own.

She rode the elevator to the crew deck, wondering exactly what she might find up there.

* * *

If she'd been looking for a scene of devastation, she wasn't disappointed. Casey wondered how these people ever had the strength to save the galaxy when they partied this hard on their downtime. There were various crew members scattered around the mess hall, almost all of them asleep or passed out at or under the table. Among them were James, Ken Donnelly, and Kasumi. There were shot glasses and spilt alcohol everywhere, and Casey felt another memory coming back to her.

"_Another," Grunt jeered, passing Casey a brimming shot glass. Casey shook her head, she'd barely been able to keep the last one down. _

"_She can't do it!" James cried, "That means I win!" Casey watched as Kelly Saunders practically swooned in the background, but Grunt shook his head. "No way, Casey here is more Krogan than any of you put together, and I wouldn't have bet on her if I thought she'd get beaten by a little girl like you!"_

_James laughed, and Casey felt her already churning stomach drop, but Grunt was looking at her so hopefully that she sighed and took the glass, attempting to spill as much of the liquid as possible before it reached her mouth. _

There was a blurry patch between that memory and the next one, but as Casey leaned over to try and hear what Vega was mumbling in his sleep, she vaguely remembered Grunt picking her up onto his shoulders while Vega fell backwards off his chair as he passed out. She guessed she had won, but as her head pounded again, Casey couldn't help but think she should've just let Grunt lose the bet.

The balloons, which Vega had compared to Miranda's breasts so many times that she actually hit him with a warp field, had now shrivelled, and were looking rather sad and tired. Casey searched the whole deck, but while she found Tali in the Kitchen and Miranda in her own room (both asleep), Garrus was nowhere to be found. She checked the gun battery, not there, the med bay, not there, and her own room: where she did find Grunt curled up in her shower, but no Garrus.

Casey thought as hard as she could, when was the last time she saw him?

* * *

"_Now I'm sure I remember you telling me once that Turians didn't dance," Casey whispered into Garrus' ear. "Yet, here you are, dancing with me for the last twenty minutes."_

_Garrus grinned. "I never used to dance, never really saw the point of it."_

"_And now?"_

"_Now," Garrus said, pulling her closer, "I get it: it's the perfect way to get dangerously close to a beautiful woman, without anyone else knowing what you're thinking about." He moved his hips so that Casey was pressed right up against him, and looked into her eyes with a hunger she knew all too well. "I don't know," Casey breathed, "I think they might have some idea."_

"_Come on," Garrus said, taking her hand and leading her away from the growing group of people dancing by the kitchen. Casey didn't argue, looking around she could see that everyone was already too drunk to notice them leaving anyway. _

_Garrus led her to the gun battery, barely able to keep his hands off her, but as the door opened, they found that this room was in fact, already occupied. That in itself wasn't too much of a shock, alcohol and a stressful mission meant that people were pairing off all over the place. The surprising part, however, and the image that Casey swore would be burned onto her eyes forever, was the sight of James Vega, completely naked, bending a woman over Garrus' gun console…a woman with grey hair. "Doctor Ch-" Casey began reflexively, before Garrus clapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her out of the room. _

_Standing in the hall, wide eyed, Garrus and Casey both seemed unable to react for a few minutes, and Casey assumed that Garrus, like herself, was considering the benefits of bleach to the eyeballs. It wasn't the age difference, or seeing Vega naked (Casey remembered all too well what that looked like), it was that the Doctor was like a mother to the crew, and seeing her in that position just seemed wrong. Though Casey had to admit, for an older woman she was certainly flexible. _

_Garrus caught Casey's eye, and grabbed a bottle from the nearest table, drinking great gulps of the pink liquid. "Let's make sure we don't remember that," he suggested, and Casey nodded, taking the bottle and following his lead. _

_The alcohol seemed to help, and within moments Casey and Garrus were both in fits of laughter. Then the reason for their visit to the battery came rushing back, and the two of them quickly headed for Casey's room. _

"_I can't wait to get you in there and-" But Garrus' whispered proclamation was cut off when Casey opened the door to her room and found that it too was occupied. This time, however, they found Grunt, Ken Donnelly, Vega, Cortez, and Joker, all in their underwear, sitting on the floor with a deck of cards. Casey felt her mouth drop open, but Vega just cheered, "Casey, Garrus, come join us!"_

"_What are you doing?" Garrus asked. _

"_Strip poker," Joker replied._

"_Ok…why are you playing strip poker?" Casey continued._

"_It's just… it's what you do when you drink!" Vega shrugged. _

"_With no women?" Garrus asked._

_The men looked around at each other for a few moments, before Joker replied: "Well, Miranda said she'd come, and to get started without her…and Gabby and Kasumi were here, but they left a while ago…"_

"_So you just kept going?" Garrus asked, a hint of laughter in his voice._

"_I'm enjoying myself," Cortez laughed. _

"_Wait, so this isn't a test of masculinity?" Grunt slurred. "This is just a way for you to trick your females into getting naked?"_

"_Hey, Vega suggested it!" Joker cried._

"_Ok, before you guys get into that," Casey interrupted. "Why are you doing it in my room?"_

_The men all looked around at each other, shrugging. Then Vega piped up, "Hey Case, if you could take your dress off right now I think we'd all feel a lot more comfortable."_

_Casey rolled her eyes and turned around to leave, Garrus close behind, struggling to keep a straight face. As they left, Casey heard Donnelly say, "So, are we going to carry on? Because I think I can win this."_

"_You got nothing Donnelly!"_

"_You're so on Donnelly, I'll keep your underwear as a trophy!"_

"_More drinks!"_

_Casey laughed as she and Garrus got into the elevator. "This whole ship is crazy."_

_But Garrus wasn't laughing now, and he pressed her against the wall. "I'm crazy, and we need to find a room." Then his eyes seemed to light up, and he pressed a button on the console. Within seconds the elevator doors opened and Casey gasped. _

"_Shepard's cabin?!"_

_Garrus grinned, pulling her into the huge, and mercifully empty, room. _

"_Doesn't this break all of the guy-friendship rules?" Casey asked, "You know, doing it in your friend's bed?"_

"_Nah I'm pretty sure the guy-rule is, if you have a woman, you have the right to do it anywhere," Garrus slurred, taking another drink. Casey had never seen him so drunk, and it was kind of funny. Garrus was normally so controlled, even during sex, but now he was stumbling, giggling! She put her hands on his face, "Someone could come in…" But she already knew that she didn't really care at this point, not now that she was looking into Garrus' icy blue eyes, feeling his long fingers on her arms. _

"_Then we'll have to be fast," he replied simply. And with that he pushed her onto the desk, and hitched her dress up to her waist. Casey felt the familiar throbbing between her legs as Garrus' fingers trailed along her thigh. He didn't take her underwear off though, instead gently caressing the material of her white lacy panties. He stroked her opening through the fabric, and she felt herself becoming wetter and wetter. He pushed his finger inside her, as far as the fabric would allow, and this drove her crazy. "I thought you said we needed to be quick!" She panted into his ear._

_He just smiled wickedly, continuing to stroke her, before saying "We do. I just love the sounds you make."_

_Casey whimpered with desire as he continued with his teasing, but then a thought crossed her mind. "_It's my birthday! I get to be in charge today." _Without uttering a word she unzipped Garrus' pants and pulled his long, thick, hard self, free. He stopped what he was doing as Casey slipped her panties to the side and wrapped her legs around his waist. She pushed him against her, just enough for her wetness to spread to the tip of him. _

_It was enough, Garrus let out a growl and pushed himself fully into her. Casey gasped with pleasure, clearly gone were the days when he eased himself in gently, and she was eternally grateful for that! _

_Garrus pounded into her again and again, and Casey soon felt her orgasm building. And from the way Garrus was biting her neck, she guessed it wouldn't be long for him either. Within moments Garrus' bucking stopped, and he let out a final moan of pleasure, followed closely by Casey, who could barely control the way her body contorted against him. He held on to her tightly, breathing heavily into her neck, then moved away. "Casey, I'm sorry, I lost control." Casey didn't know what he meant for a moment, then felt a trickle of blood leave her neck and travel down her body. He'd broken the skin when he bit her, only a little, not much more than a cut, but still he looked mortified. "It's fine," Casey said, turning his head so he was looking into her eyes. "I like it when you do." And she meant it, the cut barely hurt, and she'd certainly enjoyed the biting. Garrus, however, still looked concerned, and gently licked at her neck with his rough tongue. Casey knew that this kind of biting happened a lot between Turian couples, and that the 'cleaning up' afterwards was a very intimate thing, and as Garrus held her close and gently mended her wound, she could definitely understand that. _

* * *

Casey smiled, gently touching her neck. The cut didn't hurt. So that was the last thing she remembered doing with Garrus, but it didn't explain where he was now. The rest of the memory was blurry, and she was pretty sure more drinking followed. Did Garrus come back downstairs with her? She closed her eyes and strained hard to remember. There it was, a flash of her leaving Shepard's Cabin, glancing back for a moment. Garrus was asleep on the bed!

Casey hopped back into the elevator and rode it upstairs. Nervously, for she had not seen Shepard yet, she slipped inside. Yep, there Garrus was, still fast asleep on Shepard's bed. Casey raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't alone. Shepard was there too, fast asleep, face down, on top of the sheets. And what was Mordin doing on the floor? Casey smiled, watching Garrus sleeping. No doubt he'd be a little surprised when he woke up, reached for her and instead found Shep.

She remembered that they never had the chance to finish the conversation that they'd started in her room, but that didn't matter. They both knew what he'd wanted to say.


	22. Chapter 22

**Big thanks to kuroichi30866 for giving me the idea for the chapter being told from Garrus' side!**

**Hope you like it :)**

* * *

Garrus was dreaming. Like most Turians, his dreams were incredibly vivid. When he was a boy he used to dream of growing up and becoming a Spectre: saving the galaxy through shoot-outs and space-battles. As he grew older, he dreamed about cleaning up the Citadel and becoming the best C-Sec agent there was: rewarded with clean streets and beautiful women. As time passed his dreams turned to nightmarish visions of the Protheans extinction, the Reapers, and the end of life as he knew it. But then they changed again, and he stopped dreaming about things that worried him, or things he wanted, and began to dream about a person. This was a person he hardly knew, yet as time passed, the dreams became more and more passionate, and he slowly began to realise what he had been telling himself when he woke could not be true: he had feelings for a human. He wondered, after finally confessing how he felt, and got exactly what he'd wanted, whether he'd still dream of her. He did. But these days, he dreamt less of ripping off her clothing and pinning her against the wall, and more about protecting her, about finding her in danger, about losing her, and these felt so much worse than any of the others.

This morning, however, he was lucky, and he was having one of his more pleasant dreams: dreams of he and Casey in the gun battery. She was smiling in that shy, yet seductive way that drove him crazy, but she was starting to blur, and he fought as hard as he could not to wake up, but it was no good.

He kept his eyes closed out of protest, trying to recall the dream, when he heard her stir beside him. He tried to open his eyes, but the bright lights of what he recognised in an instant as Shepard's cabin were enough to force him to squeeze them shut immediately. He groaned, he'd never felt like this before, there had definitely been something different about what he had been drinking last night. He wondered briefly why he was sleeping in Shepard's bed, but then the memory came flooding back, and he felt a grin spread across his face. He heard her move again, and wondered whether she felt as rough as she did…Maybe humans were more resilient? Maybe she'd be ready for another round?

He rolled onto his side, eyes still squeezed shut and attempting to move as slowly as possible to prevent his head from splitting open. Maybe just a little spooning first, until he stopped feeling like he was going to dissolve into a puddle of goo on the bed. Garrus reached out his hand and ran it along her naked back. She felt a little different, though Garrus wasn't altogether sure he trusted his senses right now, as he could've sworn he also smelled that strange cologne that Mordin used to splash on before a special occasion.

Garrus continued to trail his fingers down her spine, and he felt her move. "That's nice."

Garrus' eyes sprang open. That wasn't Casey's voice.

Next to him he saw Shepard suddenly open his eyes, and the two of them stared at each other in silence.

"Garrus?" Shepard asked, clearly wondering whether this was some kind of hideous nightmare.

"Shepard." It was the only reply Garrus could think of, but considering his hand still rested on Shepard's back, it didn't seem to quite fit the situation.

Shepard glanced around the room, and Garrus suspected he was checking that Grunt wasn't going to be snuggled up against his other side or something. "Uh…I don't wanna be rude if this is some kind of Turian friendship thing, or if I've at some point given you the impression that I'm up for this, but would you mind taking your hand off my ass?"

Garrus removed his hand like Shepard's skin was red hot, clearly he'd gone a little lower than he expected. "Why aren't you wearing underwear?" He asked, his voice thick with shock.

"Why are you touching me?!" Shepard retorted.

Garrus felt flustered, "I'm sorry, I thought you were Casey!" Then he froze, realising what he'd said. Shepard, however, seemed to relax. "Casey?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah," Garrus replied, thankful that Shepard was still lying on his stomach, and wondering at what point in the morning Humans usually put their underwear on.

"Ah man, I don't know if you've got a shot there…"

"Shep I feel a little uncomfortable with…wait…what do you mean I don't have a shot?"

Shepard shrugged, turning on his side to face Garrus, who immediately focused his attention on the fish tank behind Shepard's head.

"I don't know, she's just, like, a really sweet girl. And you're kind of a douche." Shepard looked deadly serious, but Garrus could tell from his tone that he was teasing him. Still, he took the bait.

"What do you mean a douche?!"

"Like, remember that time we went to the bar, and you asked that girl whether it was common for Human women to have moustaches?"

"Oh come on, how was I supposed to know that was offensive? I'd barely had any experience with Humans then!"

"Ok, then what about the other week, when Miranda got all pissy about the new interface on the galaxy map, and you asked whether she was menstruating?"

"Again, I didn't know that would offend her, and you were the one who said it first!"

Shepard laughed, "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd ask her!"

Garrus sighed, and Shepard patted him on the shoulder. "Garrus, you know I'm kidding. Girl like Casey would be lucky to have you, you want me to get Tali to find out if she's interested?"

"No, that's fine," Garrus replied, perhaps too quickly, because suddenly Shepard's face lit up.

"You dog! You and Casey?!"

Garrus, who was slightly confused at being called a dog, and alarmed that Shepard had inadvertently moved his naked body closer to him, didn't reply. But Shepard was unperturbed. "That's great man, I'm really happy for you."

Garrus nodded, "Thanks. But, can I ask you something, as a friend?"

"Sure," Shepard replied, "But I think I know what you're going to ask, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Garrus shook his head, "Not that, but thanks. No, I was going to ask you to please put some clothes on. I think I've seen enough of 'The Great Commander Shepard' to last a lifetime."

Shepard glanced down, seeming to only now realise that he was completely naked. "Sorry Garrus!" He laughed as he jumped out of bed and towards the pile of clothes on the couch, seeming completely unembarrassed. "Habit, I wasn't expecting to find anyone in my bed, guess I just jumped straight in without realising. What the?!"

Garrus heard someone cry out, and leaned over the bed to see Mordin laying on the floor, thankfully fully dressed. _So I could smell him, _Garrus thought.

"Mordin?" Shepard asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Not…entirely sure." Mordin groaned, clutching his head. "Wondering if head about to crack in half."

"Maybe I should get some coffee on," Shepard suggested.

"Good idea," Mordin replied, nodding his head, but only gently. "One of the only drugs that works on both Humans and Salarians." He got up and moved towards the door. "May also take pain killer, ask Casey to mix solution perhaps, good practice for her, may have accidentally forgotten to continue her training since joining Normandy crew. Garrus, does she seem at all disappointed during sexual liaisons? Not with your performance, sure that is satisfactory, no, more of a disappointment at medical training coming to a halt?"

Garrus sighed, "No Mordin, and if you could not tell anyone about Casey and I, we'd really appreciate it."

"Of course," Mordin replied. "Though cannot understand secrecy myself, normal to want to relieve stress on mission such as this, in fact had similar liaison myself recently and worked very well. Not sure I would do it again though, cross species thing can be messy. Tell me, are you having any trouble with excess fluid?"

Shepard, who seemed to have forgotten all about getting dressed, turned to look at Garrus, clearly struggling to contain a laugh, "Yes Garrus, any fluid problems?"

"My only problem right now Shepard, is that you're still not wearing pants." Shepard laughed and began to get dressed, while Garrus made his way towards the door. He was sure he'd never get used to Humans and their strange ways.

* * *

Garrus made his way down to Casey's room, where he found her in her bathroom with her head on the toilet seat.

"Hey," she said in a dry voice.

"Are you ok?" He asked, as a feeling of concern immediately washed over him.

"I was, I went up to Shep's room and found you, then I came back here, and I've not stopped being sick."

"You saw me asleep?" Garrus asked. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Casey gave a tired grin, "I had this image of you waking up next to Shepard and thinking it was me, I thought it'd be funny. Plus, he was naked, and I wasn't sure I needed to see any more of him if he suddenly turned over."

The image of Shepard rolling onto his side flashed into Garrus' mind, and he replied through gritted teeth, "No one needs to see that." He looked back at Casey, who looked exhausted, and sat beside her on the floor. "Don't worry, we'll just have a relaxing day together here and you can really take the time to get over it."

"Commander Shepard, the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the debriefing room." EDI's voice rang through the ship.

Casey looked back at Garrus, raising an eyebrow.

Garrus shrugged, "Maybe he's calling to see how the party went?" He suggested lamely. But they both knew that the Illusive Man only called the Normandy for one reason: to send them on some kind of dangerous mission.

* * *

Shepard called them in for a briefing fifteen minutes later, and after the events of the morning, Garrus was almost surprised to see him fully clothed. He tried to shake the possibly 'friendship damaging' image of a naked Shepard giving him relationship advice, and pay attention to what he was actually saying.

A Cerberus team had discovered an IFF, the exact thing they needed to get through the Omega four relay alive, on a derelict Reaper. The Illusive Man was instructing Shepard and his team to go in and get the device, and search the ship for the Cerberus crew, who had recently stopped reporting in.

"This is likely to be a dangerous mission," Shepard said in a much more tired voice than normal. He clutched his cup of coffee tightly, and appeared to grimace whenever there was a noise that was louder than he was expecting. "And because of this I want to bring the whole team down. It's important we get some experience working together like this before we hit the Collector homeworld, and I think this is going to be the place were numbers pay off. Ok?"

There was a mumbled response from the crew, and Garrus took this opportunity to really look at the team properly for the first time since they'd come into the room. On first glance it wasn't too bad: everyone was here at least (except Casey, who had run to the bathroom to be sick again just before the briefing started), and they all at least had clothes on (images from the party were starting to come back, and Garrus wasn't sure he could ever look at James Vega or Doctor Chakwas the same way). Jacob and Vega just looked tired, though Cortez was positively green. Miranda, however, looked physically ruffled, with her usually pristine hair all over the place, and held her cup of coffee like her life depended on it. Grunt and Jack looked pretty normal, and Garrus couldn't tell with Kasumi as she always wore that damn hood. Thane and Samara looked as serine as ever, though Samara's outfit didn't look as though it had been buttoned up correctly, and Thane appeared to be clutching the table at times for support. Mordin had actually dragged in a stool from his lab to sit on, as though his legs couldn't be trusted.

Shepard didn't wait for a more enthusiastic response, instead lead the team from the room towards the shuttle bay and armory.

* * *

"Hey, what did I miss?" Garrus turned around, Casey stood behind him. She smiled, though he could see that she was paler than usual, and looked like she might run back to the bathroom at any moment.

"We've found an IFF, we're all heading over to this derelict Reaper to pick it up," Garrus explained as the last crew members left the briefing room. It was just him and Casey now.

"Ok, cool, I'll get my gear," she replied, in what Garrus knew she thought was an enthusiastic tone. But he could both see and hear how tired she was. He knew she wouldn't like what he had to say. "Casey, I think you should stay here."

Yep, there it was, her eyebrows lowered and she seemed to stand much taller than a few moments ago. "Why not?" She asked, "Everyone else is going, and you know I can handle myself…sort of." She seemed to get a little smaller, and Garrus had the almost uncontrollable urge to pick her up and hold her close. But he didn't have time for that, so he had to make do with trying to convince her to stay. "I can see you're not well," he began, "And there's no way I want to risk your safety if you're not at your best. Shepard wouldn't want that either."

"I'm fine!" Casey replied indignantly.

Garrus smiled, "I might be more willing to believe that if you didn't have a little vomit in your hair."

Casey blushed, and tucked a strand of her beautiful hair behind her ear. "I guess staying here to have a shower wouldn't be totally out of the question," she muttered, and Garrus felt a weight lift.

"You'll be safe here, and I promise we won't be gone long."

Casey nodded, and moved closer to kiss him, then stopped herself. "Maybe I'll save that until I'm not, you know, covered in last night's bar."

She reached out and took Garrus' hand, squeezing it for a moment. "Be safe." Garrus nodded, kissing her hand gently and heading for the shuttle bay. He felt bad about leaving her, but she was safe aboard the Normandy. He couldn't help but feel surprised that he'd actually won this time!


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, not quite the end yet but we're getting close. I really hope you like the chapter :) **

**Mel**

* * *

That was it. She was finally done. After praying to God, Buddha, the Goddess, the Spirits, and every other divine entity she could think of, Casey had finally finished being sick. She stood up shakily, her eyes drifting to the clock on the wall. The team would be on board the derelict Reaper by now. She was disappointed not to be with them (though if her morning so far was anything to go by, staying had been the right choice), but was at least happy they were all together. She knew that Garrus could take care of himself, but having other people to watch his back too was reassuring.

After brushing her teeth for what felt like the hundredth time, Casey decided to take a little walk. She was restless, and needed something to take her mind off it. Otherwise she knew she'd simply sit there imagining all the awful things that could be happening to the others.

Casey went to the Command deck first, where she found Joker and EDI, who were arguing about the temperature in the cockpit.

"Two degrees EDI, that's all I'm asking!" Joker sighed.

"The results of my tests are clear Mr Moreau, raising the temperature above Cerberus' suggested levels has a negative impact on performance," EDI's voice was as steady as ever.

"How can raising the temperature by two damn degrees effect the Normandy?!"

"Not the Normandy, you, Mr Moreau. My previous tests have demonstrated that as the temperature becomes warmer, you become sluggish and tired, and so do not perform at your best."

"Wait, what tests?" Joker asked.

"During your first few days I experimented by raising and lowering the temperature, and recording the results. These are available to view on the Crew Network, under the title 'Crew testing', subheading 'temperature and performance', subheading 'Jeff Moreau'".

"It's weird that we never noticed that," Casey chipped in with a grin, as Joker rolled his eyes and clapped his palm against his face. Then he suddenly looked up, a look of understanding and annoyance on his face. "Iis that why I spent two days sweating my ass off, and then the next two wearing three jumpsuits just to try and keep warm?"

"Yes Mr Moreau, and if you ignore my findings now, all that hard work will have been for nothing."

Joker sighed, "Fine, I give up!"

Casey grinned, "Well, I'll leave you guys to it."

Neither EDI nor Joker appeared to have heard her, as Joker began to eye EDI's terminal suspiciously. "Hang on, all those times I swore the clock in here was moving too slowly, or too quickly-"

"You can find the results of my time/work efficiency testing in the Crew Network under the title 'crew testing', subheading 'time/work efficiency', subheading 'Jeff Moreau'."

* * *

Casey found herself next at Traynor's computer, watching as Samantha winced every time she pressed a button. "Are you ok?" Casey asked.

"What? Oh, yes, just wondering why everything is so loud today," Traynor muttered.

"I really have no idea," Casey replied sarcastically.

Traynor smiled, "Ok, perhaps I over-indulged a little last night, but it was your birthday!"

"I don't actually remember seeing you at the party," Casey said, trying to remember if Traynor's face stood out anywhere in her mind.

Traynor looked embarrassed, "Well, no…I wasn't exactly there." Casey raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Traynor continued quickly. "Well I thought I'd have a couple of drinks as I got ready, but I didn't have any alcohol of my own so I just grabbed something from one of the tables. Obviously it was meant for one of the other races, as I felt a little….umm…squiffy, after a glass or two, and I must have passed out. I woke up on my bed with my glass in one hand and a tube of lipstick in the other."

Casey laughed, and Traynor looked relieved. "I'm so glad you're not upset, I feel awful!"

"It's fine," Casey replied.

"Did you get my present?" Traynor asked.

"No?" Casey replied.

"We laid all your gifts out on a table in the starboard observation deck, they should still be there."

Casey felt a smile spread across her face. The crew had got her gifts too? She thought the party had been enough! "Thanks!" She called to Traynor, suddenly realising she was halfway to the elevator already.

* * *

There were several packages wrapped up and placed on a table in the observation deck: four small ones, and one huge one. Saving the biggest one for last, Casey began with the closest one. It was a book on treating minor to moderate injuries during combat, from Mordin. Casey flicked through it for a moment, noticing that Mordin had made little notes along the margins, suggesting his own preferred method of treating 'biotic cramps', and defining any words that he thought Casey might not understand. Casey was touched that he'd taken the time to go to all this effort, and made a mental note to give him an awkward hug later.

The next gift was from Kasumi, the label read: "To Case, thought this would come in handy. Love K x", Casey unwrapped the present to find another book, however this one was entitled: _So you've decided to have sex with a Turian: Helpful hints and tips for the maximum pleasure of both species._ Casey couldn't help but laugh at Kasumi's total lack of subtlety, and put the book under Mordin's in case anyone should happen to walk in (however she made a mental note to read it from cover to cover later).

The third present was from Traynor, and the label read: "Casey, saw this and thought of you. Lots of love Sam xx". It was a beautifully elaborate hair clip, exactly the opposite of what Casey would've expected from Traynor, however it was just to Casey's taste, and she immediately used it to sweep her mass of curls into some kind of order. She smiled, that was probably the girliest present she was likely to receive from a member of the Normandy crew, and her suspicions were confirmed when she opened her next present: a serrated knife from Grunt. He'd included a heart-warming message on the label: "Casey, killed some guy with this and it worked pretty well. Grunt." Casey inspected the blade carefully, at least he seemed to have cleaned it before wrapping it (or possibly getting someone else to wrap it. Casey couldn't imagine Grunt spending much time with wrapping paper and sticky tape).

Casey now turned her attention to the final gift, and read the card first. "Dear Casey, we all chipped in to get this for you, we hope you like it. Love Shepard, Garrus, Samantha, Tali, Grunt, Samara, Kasumi, Thane, Miranda, Jacob, Mordin, Steve, James, Jack". Casey was mildly surprised to see that last name, seeing as Jack had barely said two words to her since joining.

No, wait, that wasn't true, she may have called her "a fucking pussy" after Casey almost quit the drinking contest at her party. But Casey wasn't thinking about that now, she was trying to figure out what on earth could be in the huge box. Unable to wait any longer, she ripped open the packaging, and gasped.

Inside was the most beautiful armour she had ever seen. It was black, but when she picked up the chest-plate she could see that had a blue tinge, which was only noticeable in certain positions. It was so light to hold, yet she could tell it was stronger than anything she'd worn before. It didn't have the Cerberus logo on it like Shepard's did, but instead had 'SR2' emblazoned over the spot where her heart would be. Casey felt a little emotional, which she knew was silly, it was only a set of armour: not exactly a pair of diamond earrings. Most people wouldn't have understood, but to Casey, it was one of the most precious things she owned (alongside the necklace she wore, and Garrus' heart). It meant she was important to these people, it meant she belonged.

* * *

Casey carried her gifts back to her room, laying them all down on her bed in order to admire them properly. Just as she leaned forward to stroke the arm of her armour again, she felt the ship judder. This was something new, the Normandy usually flew so smoothly that it barely felt like it was moving. Then she heard the alarm sound, and the lights began to flicker. She hurried over to her bedroom door and walked out into the hallway, where various crew members were looking around with confused looks on their faces. More juddering, and Casey lost her balance and fell against the wall.

"What's going on?" She heard someone shout.

"No idea!"

"It feels like we're being boarded?!"

"That's ridiculous, no one knows we're out here. Who would-"

But the voice was cut off. Casey, currently standing in the hallway outside her room, watched helplessly as the elevator doors opened and four Collectors strode out. Casey felt her stomach drop and her mouth dry up. One of the Collectors raised his gun and fired at the nearest crew member. It sounded like a concussive round, and within seconds the man was on the floor. The Collector dragged him back into the elevator, as his accomplices fired more shots. Casey was just far enough that they hadn't seen her, and she ran as fast as she could back to her room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

"Fuck!" Casey cried, running her hands through her hair. The screaming outside was getting louder, and Casey paced her room, desperately trying to figure out what to do next.

_Joker, _she suddenly thought. She knew he could barely fire a gun without breaking his wrist, she needed to find him, and maybe she could keep him safe while he and EDI figured out what to do. But she couldn't go outside, the Collectors would capture her within minutes. She looked around her room for some kind of inspiration, then she saw it, one of the things which seemed to be the bane of her life, an air duct. She sighed, and quickly removed the grate, wondering how often she'd be forced to crawl around in these things.

Casey ran back to her bed and grabbed the knife Grunt had given her, slipping it into her belt. Just as she was contemplating whether she'd have enough time to put her armour on, she heard something outside, something that sounded unmistakably like her door being hacked.

She darted into the vent, pulling the cover across just before the door opened. She didn't wait to see the Collectors enter her room, instead crawling through the duct as fast as she could. She'd never been in here before, and wondered if it was even possible to get to the command deck from the crew deck, or if she'd just have to find a vent near the elevator and risk it.

* * *

She'd been travelling for a few minutes, stopping every now and then and peering through a grate to try and establish her position. In fact, she was so focused on this that she didn't realise she was about to collide with another body until she did.

"Shit, my arm!"

"Joker?!" Casey didn't think she'd ever felt so relieved.

"Casey, are you ok?"

"Yes fine, I was coming to find you, what the hell's going on?!"

"No idea," Joker replied, shaking his head. "It all happened so fast, before EDI and I could figure out why communications were down the Collectors were boarding. They've already taken more than half the crew. I've unshackled EDI."

"You…what?" Casey couldn't believe it, an unshackled AI? That was surely a really bad idea? But then as she heard another scream, one that sounded unmistakeably like Kelly Chambers, she knew that there weren't many alternatives.

"It's the only chance we have of saving the Normandy. Come on, we need to get to engineering."

Casey nodded, but then another thought crossed her mind. "Wait, what about Samantha?"

EDI's voice emitted from Joker's Omni-tool "Operative Traynor is currently in the crew quarters. The door is locked, but Collectors are attempting to hack it, so far unsuccessfully."

"We have to get her!" Casey urged.

"Casey I hate to say it, but the Collectors will get to her before we even reach her room," Joker began.

"Well then we'll fight them!" Casey persisted. "She's still on this ship, we can save her!"

"What can I do, break my arm at them? Besides we need to finish giving EDI control of the ship: that means going to engineering."

Casey could tell Joker didn't want to leave Traynor, but he was right, he had other things he needed to do. "Ok," Casey began. "You go, but I'm getting Samantha. I'll meet you in engineering."

"What? No, Case-"

But she had already crawled past him, moving as quickly as possible to where she thought she could find the crew quarters.

"Shit!" She heard Joker say. "Just…just make sure you get your ass to engineering, quickly!" The sound of him crawling away soon disappeared as Casey travelled further through the cold ducts.

* * *

At last, she found the vent she was looking for, the one inside the crew quarters. Casey hadn't been in here much, it was where the majority of the support crew slept, and was filled with bunk beds. She could see Traynor by the door, frantically typing something into the locking console.

"Samantha!" Casey yelled, and Traynor turned around, her eyes wide.

"Casey?" She sounded unsure she'd even heard anything.

"Over here!" Casey banged on the grate, and Traynor hurried over, quickly opening it up and pulling Casey out. She held her close for a moment, breathing heavily. "I didn't know if you'd made it," Samantha breathed. "I ran in here, I've been hacking the door to stop them getting in but I don't think I can stop it."

Casey pulled away, taking Traynor's hand. "Come on, we'll go into the vents, Joker has a plan."

Traynor nodded, and Casey led the way, but she'd only just climbed into the vent when she heard an all too familiar clicking sound. She squinted, trying to see further into the blackness. Movement. _They're in the vents! _She jumped out and grabbed the grate "Quick, put it back on!" She cried, holding it in place as Traynor attempted to lock it in. But within moments the Collector had pushed hard against the grate, forcing the women to fall backwards. He climbed out, followed by two others. The Collectors watched Casey and Traynor climb to their feet, but for the moment made no attempt to capture them. Casey backed up towards the door, Traynor doing the same. But suddenly the door opened, and when she turned around, Casey found herself facing five more Collectors.

They were trapped. There was no other way out of this room.

Traynor took Casey's hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It'll be ok," Casey breathed.

The largest Collector gestured at Casey and Traynor, and within moments they were separated by the others and dragged and out of the room. Casey saw two of the coffin-like containers that the Collectors used to transport their victims, and fought harder than ever against her captors. She could see Traynor doing the same, but it was no use. The Collectors were too strong. Traynor was first, forced into the coffin kicking and screaming. The door was closed, and within moments she was silent.

Now Casey. They shoved her inside the warm, sticky container, and slammed the lid down. Casey hammered her fists against the glass, but already she felt herself weakening. There must've been something inside the tube to sedate them, something Mordin's seeker repellent wouldn't work against.

Casey was drowsy. She watched as the Collectors picked up her coffin and carried it to the elevator. She tried to stay awake, tried to break out, but she couldn't reach her knife, and she was so tired.

Her last thought was of Garrus, what would he do when he realised she was gone?


	24. Chapter 24

******Hello everyone, thanks for sticking with me! This is the finale of 'Falling for Garrus', and I really hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

When Casey woke up, she wondered whether it had all been just a terrible nightmare. That she might turn over and see Garrus sleeping beside her, or looking at her in the way that always made her tremble. The Collectors never boarded the Normandy. She was never taken, never forced into one of the tubes. She was safe.

Except she wasn't. The Collectors had boarded the Normandy, and now it was more likely than not that she would die right here.

Wherever here was. Casey's eyesight was blurry, and she just about had enough room in the tube to rub her eyes with her hands. It was at that moment that she realised the tube was upright, and she was standing with her forehead leant against the glass. She steadied herself, and tried to take note of her surroundings.

She was in the Collector base. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Though the world outside the tube was sparse to say the least, she could see the room stretched for miles, and the walls were made of a dark brown material which Casey could only liken to an insect nest of some kind. She could see thousands of tubes on the wall across a wide ravine only a few yards from her. She looked to her left, Samantha! Traynor's tube was positioned right next to hers, although she appeared to still be asleep. Casey could just make out Doctor Chakwas and Gabby from engineering in the tubes along from Samantha, and more Normandy crew just past that. To her right was Ken, and then more Normandy staff past him. So far Casey appeared to be the only one awake.

She began to hammer against the glass, but it was no good, she could tell these things were built solid. There was no way she'd get out of there using her hands alone. Then it struck her, she had a knife tucked into her belt! There wasn't a lot of room to manoeuvre, however, and as Casey reached for the blade, she managed to dislodge it. It clattered against the floor of the tube. It was loud, but Casey was sure the tube was sound proof. She bent her knees, lowering herself as much as possible, her fingers skirting the floor of the tube searching for the blade.

Finally her fingers brushed against the metal, and she grabbed it tightly, wincing as it sliced into her skin. She shifted back into a standing position, took, a breath, and hit the glass with the knife.

Nothing. Not a dent. Not a chip. Not a scratch. She exhaled angrily and tried again. Still nothing. The knife may have been strong, but not enough to damage this glass at all. Casey frantically searched the tube for any kind of weak spot. It was smooth and clear all around…except... Casey lowered herself to the floor again. There was a small panel, fastened down with several old fashioned looking screws.

Slowly and carefully, Casey used her knife to turn the screws, until finally, the panel popped open. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. A button that said 'Press to Escape'? All she found were a few grey wires. Unwilling to admit defeat, Casey hacked through the wires with the serrated end of the blade. Nothing happened. Casey let the blade slip from her still bleeding hand. It was no good. There was no way she was getting out of here.

* * *

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Casey recognised the voice, it was Samantha. Casey eased herself back upright, and turned to her left, just able to make out Traynor hammering on the glass of her tube. Casey wondered briefly how she was able to hear her, then noticed what looked like a large pipe which ran through each of the tubes. Casey wasn't sure what it was meant to pump in or out, but it allowed her to hear what was happening in the other tubes along the line.

"Sam, over here!" Casey called. She saw Samantha look around, before realising where Casey was.

"Casey! Are you ok?"

"Yeah, well…as much as I can be. You?"

"A bit groggy," Samantha replied. She seemed to be taking in her surroundings. "I guess whatever gas they pumped into our tubes to knock us out has run out."

"Yep, which is lucky, because I really wanted to be awake for this whole harvesting thing," Casey joked.

Traynor's eyes widened, "shh!" She hissed, gesturing to her left, before closing her eyes and leaning against the back of her tube. Casey caught sight of what she was pointing at, two Collectors heading in their direction. Casey leaned against the back wall of the tube, closing her eyes a little, but still able to watch as the figures approached. They seemed to be talking: and were moving much quicker than Casey expected. They didn't even glance at the tubes as they hurried past.

"They look worried," Casey remarked as they disappeared into the distance.

"Casey, I'm sorry." Samantha's voice sounded thick with emotion, and when Casey turned to look into the other tube, it looked like tears were running down her friend's cheek.

"What?" Casey asked, confused.

"I'm sorry you're here. It's my fault, if you hadn't come back for me-"

"Don't say that," Casey interrupted, shaking her head. "The only ones to blame here are the Collectors."

"Hello?" Another voice flitted through the pipe and into Casey's tube.

"Doctor Chakwas?" Samantha called.

"Samantha? Are you alright?" Chakwas asked.

"I'm fine."

"Who else is here?"

"Just Casey and I awake so far," Samantha replied.

"And me." That was Ken Donnelly.

"Ken? Ken are you ok?!" That was definitely Gabby. It seemed like everyone was waking up now.

"I'm fine Gabby," Ken replied. "Royally pissed off, but alive. You ok?"

"Course," Gabby replied, seeming to compose herself.

"Everyone look around you," Chakwas called. "Is there any way to open the tubes?"

There was silence for a few moments, before Casey sighed. "It's no use, I've already looked. There's no way out of these things."

"Casey's right," Samantha agreed. "These things weren't meant to be opened from the inside."

"So what should we do?" Casey recognised Kelly Chambers' voice.

"Shepard _will_ come for us," Chakwas said. These were the words Casey knew all of them wanted to say, but no one had had the courage to do it so far.

"I know," Samantha replied.

"How can you know that?" Kelly asked, sounding almost hysterical.

"Do you think they even know where we are?" Gabby added.

"Don't talk like that Gabby," Ken scolded. "'Course they know where we are, Shep's probably fighting through the creepy bastards as we speak!"

Seconds after the words left Ken's lips, the whole base seemed to rumble and shake. It felt like something had crashed into it, but that couldn't be right, could it?

"What did I tell you?" Chakwas asked, a lighter tone to her voice. "Shepard is the only one who can make an entrance like that. All that's left is to wait."

* * *

Casey had no idea how long they waited, listening as the sounds of gunfire and explosions got louder. It seemed like every time she heard a shot her heart stopped, but no one had arrived yet. The crew had stopped talking now, everyone was on edge.

Then it happened, the door opened, and Shepard, surrounded by the rest of the team arrived inside. They were still shooting out of the door, while Tali typed away into the console. Casey couldn't see Garrus yet, but then so many of the team were out of her eye line. She could see Mordin though, who at that moment, turned to face the tubes. Casey saw his mouth drop open, and he called something to the others. Casey could hear some of the sounds, but it was muffled, nothing was clear. Mordin ran over, apparently saying something to the people in the pods.

"Does he know we can't hear him?" Ken asked.

Mordin arrived at Casey's pod, and she pointed to her ears, shaking her head. He nodded, putting his hand against the glass. She didn't need to hear to know that he was trying to reassure her. At that moment James appeared next to Mordin, eyeing the pod angrily. He said something too, but Casey couldn't hear it. He hit his shotgun against the glass of her tube again and again, but nothing happened. Casey could see other crew members doing the same at the other tubes, while Shepard and some of the others still fought Collectors at the main doors. Thane was at Samantha, hitting the glass with his gun, Miranda was at Chakwas, and she appeared to be trying to prise the door open with her hands. Grunt began to smash at Ken's tube, "No, Gabby! Get Gabby first!" Ken yelled. But Grunt couldn't hear. His tube burst open, and Ken, fell out onto the floor. Grunt didn't help him to his feet, instead moving along to the next pod.

Then Casey heard the scream. It travelled along the pipe, so she didn't know whose tube it came from, only that it was a voice she didn't recognise. "Help!" The woman cried. Casey saw Samara and Zaeed move towards the sound, their mouths open in horror. Whatever was happening in that tube, it wasn't good.

Then Casey saw Kasumi standing in front of her, essentially barging James out of the way. She stared at the tube for a few moments, then began frantically typing onto her Omni-tool, waving it at the pod every few minutes. Her eyes constantly darted from the screamer's pod (she'd gone quiet now), to Casey. Then she turned and seemed to be calling out.

There he was. Garrus was next to Kasumi, smashing his rifle against the glass. Casey could see the other tubes around her opening under the pressure of the squad mates' actions, but hers seemed as secure as ever.

Another scream. This time Casey recognised the voice as Kelly Chambers. She could just see that tube, and watched as the floor slowly opened up, and Kelly began to disappear as she was pulled down. There was some kind of mechanical device, it looked like it was…Casey didn't want to think of it….grinding Kelly up, and within moments Kelly Chambers was spattered across the glass of her tube.

Garrus, who had paused only for a second, began to hammer harder against the tube. Samantha was out now, Chakwas, Gabby, Ken, and some others. But no matter how hard Garrus fought, he could not break the glass. Grunt pushed him aside, began to smash himself against the tube, but though it had worked on the others, it would not work for Casey's.

Then she remembered the wires. What if she'd stopped the tube from ever being able to open?

* * *

"_What's happening?!" Garrus yelled._

"_I don't know!" Grunt replied, not stopping his barrage against the tube._

"_Why won't it open?!" Garrus turned to Kasumi, who was still waving her Omni-Tool. _

"_I don't know!" She sounded frantic. "This should've worked!"_

_Garrus looked back at Casey, who had a calm, yet defeated look on her face. He watched as she moved closer to the glass, and pressed her hand against it. She was bleeding. Garrus pressed his own hand on the other side of the glass, vaguely aware that Grunt had stopped, and everyone had gone silent. _

"_It…it won't work." Kasumi breathed. _

_Garrus watched Casey give him a weak smile, a tear sliding down her cheek. _

"_I…It has to work…try it again!" Garrus yelled, not taking his hand off the glass. But he watched as Casey pointed as Kasumi and shook her head. _

_Casey looked like she was saying something, but Garrus couldn't hear her. Another tear slid down her cheek, and she removed her hand, leaving a bloody hand print on the tube. She glanced at this for a moment, then dipped her finger into the blood, hastily writing a message. _

_Garrus saw Kasumi lower her hood. Many of the others had now crowded around. "Don't give up!" He yelled, beginning his own assault on the glass again. _

"_Garrus…" Shepard said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. Garrus looked up at the message Casey had written._

"_I love you too," he whispered, putting his hand on the glass again. _

* * *

Casey didn't know if he had said it back, it certainly looked like it. And as she felt the floor of the tube begin to rumble and slide open, that was all she really needed. She looked at each of her squad mates in turn, then took one last look at Garrus, before falling through the floor.

* * *

Pain. In her hands, legs, arms. But not as much as she expected. Casey came too and looked at her body, hardly daring to trust her senses. She was alive! She was in one piece! Cutting the wires may have stopped them being able to open her tube, but it also turned off whatever had been programmed to slice her up as she fell through the floor. As it was, she had fallen down the pipe and knocked herself unconscious. She was now in a tub of something which was half liquid, half solid.

As Casey saw a dog tag drift past, she decided she did not want to think about what this substance might be, and instead half swam, half walked, to the edge of the container. Halfway to the edge she found her knife floating near the remains of what looked like a human shin, and she quickly grabbed it. Large tubes were sucking the thick liquid out of the pool, and she climbed onto one of these to help ease herself over the side.

And then she was on the floor. Bruised, bloodied, covered in what she knew was probably parts of other people, but alive. Her arm hurt. A lot. She was so battered that she could barely walk, but knew she had to get out of there. There was only one door, so she headed towards it, cradling her arm against her chest.

Once outside, she found herself in a long corridor, with two directions to choose from. Casey didn't think about Garrus, or her friends, or even the Collectors. She decided her biggest choice right now, would be finding a way out of here.

She chose to go left, and set off down the long corridors. She ignored other doorways and side passages, continuing forwards. Her arm was so painful, and every now and then she saw bright spots in front of her eyes, but she would not let herself stop, not even for a moment. Stopping meant dying, and she would not die here.

More crashing, more banging, and something which could only be described as a roar. All these sounds echoed around her, but Casey could no more decipher one from the other than pin point their location. She continued on, wondering every minute whether she would ever find a way out.

* * *

As she rounded the next corner, Casey quickly pulled back, leaning against the wall. A Collector. Just one, alone, was standing just a few feet away. It had its back to her, and appeared to be guarding the door at the end of the corridor. _If it's something worth guarding, it's something I could use, _Casey thought. She was so weak, noticing for the first time that the pain in her arm was caused by a shard of her own bone jutting through her skin. But if she didn't keep going she knew she would be stuck here until Shepard destroyed the base, and from the increased explosions and roaring, that would certainly not be long. Casey took a breath, gripping her knife tightly, and slipped around the corner.

Walking without making a sound was not easy, every step made Casey want to groan in pain, but she held it together, and the explosions masked any noise she might otherwise make. As Casey approached the Collector, she willed him to turn around. She didn't want to stab him in the back, she wanted him to see her, to know that it was her who was ending his life. She wanted him to be afraid, like every single person he'd taken had been afraid.

She wasn't afraid though. Not anymore. She wasn't the same Casey that Shepard had recruited on Omega: who'd been afraid to stand up for herself, who'd always seen the best in everyone. That Casey was dead. This was new Casey, and she wasn't going to let herself be afraid ever again.

"Hey," she hissed. The Collector spun around, but before he could even aim his gun she slammed her knife into his neck. The gun dropped to the floor, and the Collector dropped to his knees. Casey leaned in, whispering just loud enough for him to hear. "Fuck you."

She pulled her knife out roughly, and looked down. The Collector had some kind of key card hanging from his chest. She pulled it off, and moved towards the door. It opened as soon as she held up the card, and she limped inside as another explosion rang out.

* * *

Casey let out a little laugh. It was a hanger bay, filled with small Collector fighter ships. She moved as quickly as she could towards the nearest one, as an explosion, even louder than before, shook the entire base. She didn't have much time.

Casey climbed into the cockpit, and slid the key card into a little slot next to the controls. Immediately the console lit up, and it was only at this moment that Casey realised she had absolutely no idea how to fly a ship, let alone a Collector ship. She shook her head, frantically looking at all the different areas on the holographic interface. She struggled to remember anything she'd seen Joker do, but even if she could somehow convert that into knowledge that would work for a smaller craft, all of the writing was in a language she didn't recognise.

Casey smashed her good hand against the chair she was sitting on in anger. Another explosion, and now the station was shaking, with no suggestion that it would stop.

It was then that Casey saw it, a map interface, like the galaxy map in the CIC. But she didn't recognise the planets, and the names were written in the same unreadable text. She wasn't Shepard, or Traynor, she couldn't tell which planets were which by eye alone. If she chose the wrong one, she could be stranded somewhere with no oxygen or surface gravity, this small ship wouldn't have enough fuel to do a tour until she found a hospitable planet!

Casey searched the map for a single place she recognised. And there it was. Not a planet as such, but somewhere she would always be able to identify. The horrible little piss-hole that she'd spent so many years trying to escape from. "Omega!" She shouted out its name like it was the most wonderful place in the galaxy. Casey clicked on the icon, and suddenly the ship came to life. The engines rumbled, and, apparently on autopilot, the craft began to move towards the hangar doors. They opened immediately, and the ship gained speed, shooting out of the open doors within seconds.

Which was lucky, as Casey could hear the station exploding and collapsing behind her as the little ship shot away.

As the ship navigated the debris field on its own, Casey caught a single glimpse of the Normandy before it disappeared through the Omega 4 relay. There was no way she could hope to catch or track it, the Normandy was a marvel of engineering, and she was in a one man fighter she didn't know how to fly.

No, she would let this thing take her to Omega. She'd get herself patched up, and she'd find a way to get back to the Normandy.

Casey cradled her arm, watching as she got closer and closer to the relay. She didn't know how she'd do it, but she'd find her friends. She'd find Garrus.

It had taken Casey years to find the man she loved, and in doing so she'd found herself. There was no way she was going to let either of those things get away from her.

* * *

**Hello again guys,**

**I had planned to make this a 'happily ever after' ending, and then move on to a new story...however Casey would not let me let her go that easily, and ideas are now running through my head for a sequel! I will start that as a new story, but it will follow on from this one, so if you're interested in reading it (when I get the chance to write it of course), please favourite me as a writer, and then you should be notified when I post the new story (i'm assuming? I'm afraid I don't 100% know how it all works!). **

**Thanks for all the comments and reviews, I've loved writing this story, and if you can be patient, I really look forward to continuing Casey's story :)**

**Love Melshep x**


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